The John M Stang Medical Student Elective

Humanistic Medicine: Constructing Your Humanism

Sorry! Registration is closed for 2011. To sign up for next year, email Kate [1]

Patch Adams and the Gesundheit Institute are offering a four-week elective: "Humanistic medicine: constructing your humanism". We will announce the dates for next year soon and it takes place at the Gesundheit Institute in Hillsboro, WV.

We invite all interested stake-holders in health care to participate: pre-med students, medical students, nursing students, activists, scholars. Elective credit can be arranged.

The four-week elective provides braided learning for the teaching of humanism in medicine, using both presentational and project-based approaches.

Spend four weeks in the beautiful Appalachian valley in rural West Virginia engaging in the study and practice of compassion. On-site housing, food, reading materials, internet access, and instruction and guidance by board-certified physicians of the Gesundheit! Institute are provided.

Themes

Towards a More Humane Model of Medicine History, Present and Future- To plan a new more intentionally humane future for medicine we need to know our historical and cultural contexts of health care. Students will actively learn about how medicine has evolved from its earliest roots to its present forms.

On Caring Care is the fundamental act in medicine, and is a deeply human endeavor. We exist because we care for one another.

Medicine and Art Art in all its forms is an important path to explore and understand medicine and the human condition. Poetry, prose, stage arts, films and clowning will be explored and experienced.

Doctor as Medicine Caring for people is more than prescribing medications or surgery.

Medicine, Community and Society Communities, relationships, families, societies can both give health and make people sick. We explore the role of physician in recognizing and making use of the therapeutic community.

Healthy Designing Rather than passively participate in current healthcare delivery systems, it is possible to design one's own practice, making use of one's unique talents, passions, and creativity.

Community Building and Active Participation An inherent part of the elective will be active participation in community building. Students and teachers will function as community members at the G! Institute. Active participation in work, cooking, organic gardening fun and play will be encouraged.

General Information

Facilities Gesundheit! consists of a 300-acre pristine tract of farm and mountain land in rural West Virginia, with gardens, a multi-story workshop, mountain hiking trails, creeks, a lake, and clean air and water. The dacha, with its onion domes and Russian architecture, serves as a residence and meeting place, and has won awards for its unique design. Gesundheit! offers wi-fi

Cost: $1500 covers tuition, room and board.

Registration: (1) Please fill out an application below by June 1 to hold your place. We are accepting a limited number of participants and we suggest you submit your application as soon as possible to guarantee your spot.

Payment: The fee or deposit can be paid online via secure PayPal account HERE [2] or with a check payable to Gesundheit! Institute. Your $500 (non-refundable) deposit will be due two weeks after your application is accepted.

For more information: contact Kate [1]

Travel Information

Arrivals, Sunday, October 2:
AMTRAK: the westbound train arrives in White Sulphur Springs, WV at 5pm; the eastbound train arrives at 11:25am.
BY AIR: the Greenbrier Airport in Lewisburg is served by Continental Airlines connecting from Cleveland with arrivals on Sunday at 1:40pm and 6:25pm; and by Delta Airlines connecting from Atlanta with arrivals on Sunday at 1:31pm.

Departures, Monday, October 30:
AMTRAK: the eastbound train departs White Sulphur Springs, WV at 11:25am, the westbound train at 5pm.
BY AIR: Greenbrier airport departure times are 1pm and 5pm (Continental), and 1:56pm (Delta).
It's also possible to fly to Washington DC and make a connection to Amtrak or rent a car (5 hours drive to Hillsboro).

Gesundheit staff will shuttle people to and from the train station in White Sulphur Springs and the airport in Lewisburg on Sunday and Wednesday.

BY CAR: on I-64 at Lewisburg, WV exit onto 219 going north. After about 40 minutes, turn right on Locust Creek Road (veers sharply down opposite a sign for quarter horses, 2 miles south of Hillsboro. The turn is easy to miss—if you find yourself in Hillsboro, you've driven 2 miles past the turn!). Take Locust Creek Road for about 10 minutes, over a bridge; the Gesundheit sign will be on the right. Follow the gravel road all the way past the workshop to the parking area near the farmhouse and Dacha. Gesundheit is located in a rural, mountainous area, so the roads are narrow and winding. It's good to make travel plans in advance. Please plan to arrive at dinner time on Sunday and to leave after breakfast on Wednesday.