Humanities in Medicine
Mayo Clinic Humanities in Medicine enhances Mayo Clinic's primary value — the needs of the patient come first. Our mission is to integrate arts and humanities into the healing environment through each shield of medicine.
Community members served every year by Humanities in Medicine events
Patients and family members personally touched by humanities programs each year
Learners participating in nearly 200 workshops and education sessions annually
Clinical practice
Humanities in Medicine delivers art directly to patients and their loved ones through music, narrative, visual arts, therapeutic movement and improv. Patients are able to participate in bedside arts programs, which provide opportunities for creative exploration and expression, and creative arts therapy, through which patients work with licensed creative arts therapists as part of clinical care plans. Visual arts exhibits, lectures and performances also are available to patients and their loved ones.
Education
For medical students and staff, Humanities in Medicine provides educational programs that promote well-rounded healthcare professionals who are aware of Mayo Clinic’s unique heritage, understand the benefits of a culturally rich healing environment and are trained in the art of medicine as an essential professional asset. Learn more about educational opportunities for Mayo Clinic staff and learners.
Research
Research studies show that arts engagement can have a profound impact on patients, including by reducing patient suffering and need for medicine. For learners, arts and humanities activities support skill-building in important areas such as communication, critical thinking and empathy. Engaging in arts and humanities activities also supports healthcare professionals as it can reduce burnout, increase innovation and enhance teamwork. Benefits to learners and healthcare professionals ultimately lead to improved patient care.
Enriching the spirit, enhancing healing
The Humanities in Medicine team collaborates with colleagues across Mayo Clinic to conduct qualitative and quantitative research into the diverse ways that arts and humanities contribute to healing. The team also provides support to Mayo Clinic learners researching arts and humanities topics. This work contributes to a growing body of literature nationally and globally in medical and health humanities and arts and health.
Research projects vary widely in topic and scope. Examples include:
- How participating in bedside arts and creative arts therapy impacts patient experience and outcomes.
- The impact of learner engagement in improvisation and visual arts on development of clinical skills.
- How arts and humanities approaches can support professional identity formation.
To learn more about Humanities in Medicine research and to share ideas for additional studies, please contact us.
Engage with humanities in medicine
On any given day, patients, staff, learners and visitors engage in creative and impactful activities coordinated by the Center for Humanities in Medicine at each campus. The programs are open to Mayo Clinic patients, staff, visitors and community members and are made possible by generous donations by grateful benefactors.
Creative arts therapy sessions are led by board-certified music and art therapists, who work with individual patients in coordination with their clinical care teams.
Bedside arts programs pair professional artists with people in the hospital, extending traditional patient care to include creative pursuits and self-discovery. Activities include music at the bedside, visual arts at the bedside and writing at the bedside.
Visual art exhibitions present art from around the world to enhance the healing environment. Artwork offers a distraction for patients undergoing clinical care, provides opportunities for reflection and uplifts Mayo Clinic values.
Performance events, such as live theatre, music and dance performances, inspire, teach and encourage discussion around universal human issues.
Lectures feature renowned speakers focusing on diverse topics such as narrative medicine, environmental humanities and community engagement.
Workshops present opportunities for participants to reflect, interact and express themselves through varied methods and techniques, such as art making, creative writing, improvisation, music and mindfulness.
Outreach efforts serve patients, families, learners, employees and the public. Outreach includes fielding inquiries from prospective learners regarding humanities programming available at Mayo Clinic, engaging in pathway programs for future students and employees, organizing community-building events, and hosting public events that attract future learners and staff.
Discover events facilitated by Humanities in Medicine near you:
Thank you!
Humanities in Medicine encompasses diverse and creative experiences for patients, families, learners, employees and the public. Everything we do upholds the primary value of Mayo Clinic: The needs of the patient come first. Benefactor support plays a vital role in helping our team deliver high-quality programs and services throughout the year.
On behalf of Mayo Clinic and the patients we serve, we express heartfelt gratitude for our benefactors' generous support of Humanities in Medicine.
