To be considered for graduation with distinction in humanities, the student must meet all of the following criteria:
- Body of work: “Body of work” refers to the production of a significant collection of creative accomplishment in the literary, visual, or performing arts.
- Originality: All work must be original.
- Relevance to medicine: All work must have either an explicit or an indirect connection capable of elucidation with some aspect of medicine (i.e., patient care, socialization into the medical profession, physician self-care, the medical school experience or the physician-patient relationship).
- Time frame: All work must have been produced during medical school.
- Quantity: The body of work should be substantive and represent a significant commitment of time and intellectual energy.
- Quality: The body of work will be reviewed by a committee comprised at minimum of physicians and faculty with interest in the student’s chosen medium; and if possible a professor from a field relevant to the submission.
- Publication and prizes: While not required, in granting graduation with distinction in humanities, the Dean will consider favorably publication in professional journals and/or awards received from organizations and groups external to UC Irvine-SOM.
Contribution to the SOM community: “Contribution to the SOM community” refers to consistent student efforts to use the humanities and arts as a means of participating in and contributing to the SOM community. Examples of such contributions follow:
- Participation in the Anatomy course creative project option.
- Participation in Plexus as either an editor or a significant contributor
- Participation for at least 2 years in various humanities electives (i.e., the 1st year literature and medicine elective; the 1st year Examine the Painting/Examine the Patient elective; the 1st year History of Medicine elective; the f1st year Improvisational Theater elective; the 2nd year reflective writing elective; the 4th year humanities research elective; the 4th year Art of Doctoring elective)
- Participation in the annual medical student Talent Show; student Art Exhibit; other humanities/arts related special events (symposia, conferences etc.)
- Development of a humanities-based patient-centered project through an outpatient clinic, the hospital, the Cancer Center etc.
Guidelines for SOM Medical Humanities Award
The Medical Arts and Humanities Award was established in 2000 to honor an outstanding graduating student who, over the course of his or her medical education, has created a body of original work in either literature or the arts that attempts to integrate the art and science of medicine, and in so doing, makes a contribution to the UC Irvine-SOM community. All SOM graduating students nominated by faculty, staff, or peers for graduation with distinction in humanities/arts are considered for this further recognition. The winner(s) are selected by a committee consisting of faculty from various departments in the UC Irvine School of Medicine based on the excellence of the work.
Winners of Graduation with Distinction in Medical Humanities and UC MH Research Award
Graduation With Distinction in Medical Humanities | Medical Humanities Award | UC Medical Humanities Consortium Research Award | Summer Research Stipends | |
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2022 | Janani Prasad; Kelton Mock | Janani Prasad; Ruchi Desai | N/A | |
2021 | Olivia Tsai, Ajay Sharma | Celia Cheung, Daniel Azzam, Ajay Sharma | N/A | N/A |
2020 | Stephanie Noh | Kevin Guan, Thalia Nguyen Honorable Mention* Richelle Homo Melinda Schneider Nahzaneen Sedehi |
N/A | Ashley Hope |
2019 | Tiffany Pham, Shella Raja, Soe Thein, Nathan Calixto | Tiffany Pham, Shella Raja | N/A | Michael LoBasso and Ian Jones |
2018 | Austin Momii, Mia Shan, Andy Trang, Adam Kalawi, Ben Nguyen | Austin Momii | Not awarded | Janice Chua – History of The Adoption of Microvascular Free Flap Surgery by Otolaryngologists
Sarah O’Dell – A “Medical Inkling”: Robert Havard and the Clinical Imagination |
2017 | Jiwon (Helen) Shin, Michael Abrouk, John Combs | Jiwon Shin | Sam Sampson “Who’s Got Empathy?”
Shella Raja “Hospital Based Art Programs” |
Christine Pham – The Usage of Medical Photography and Its Impact on Clinician Empathy
Navin Sedehi – Trauma and Its Poetry: A Shadowing Experience |
2016 | Jessica Galant, Aurora Cruz; Hanna Liu, Esther Jun; Avinash Chaurasia, David Lee | Jessica Galant, Aurora Cruz | Not awarded | Bobby Hateley – How Space Exploration Has Changed the Field of Medicine |
2015 | Virginia Liu, Christine Lee, Melody Besharati, and Lori Burns | Virginia Liu | Lorianne Burns – Exploring Medical Student Poetry | |
2014 | Samantha Costantini; Kimberly Truong | Samantha Costantini | Idris Leppla – Psychiatry before Antipsychotics: Representations in Literature
Laura Doan- Changes in Medical Care Then to Now: Exploring the Life Story Narratives of Patients 65 and Older.
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Helen Shin – Patient Narratives of Mental Illness in the Christian Religion
Maja Feldman – How Medicine Changes Us– the Journey as Captured through the Eyes of a Medical Blogger Ron Sahyouni – In Depth Analysis of Dr. Eric Cassell’s “The Nature of Suffering and The Goals of Medicine” |
2013 | Tiffany Diament, Stephanie Le, Shuo Wang | Tiffany Diament | David Cheng “Stories of Chronic Pain in a Geriatric Population”
Nina Narasimhalu – Superimposing Shakespeare on Modern Medicine: How Physicians Continually Find Meaning and Inspiration in Their Work” |
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2012 | Matthew Fradkin, Chase Warren, Daniel Nagasawa | Matthew Fradkin | Matthew Fradkin “The Melodies of the Maladiess” | |
2011 | Charitha Reddy | Charitha Reddy | Christina Umber – “Emotional Coping of Medical Students” |
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Christina Umber | Lauren Ross – “Value, Dysmenorrhea and the Definition of Disease.” |
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Lauren Ross | Jennifer Alloo – “Narrative Medicine: A Medical Student’s Experiment in Becoming a Reflective Doctor.” |
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Jennifer Alloo | Matt Fradkin – “Music to Heal” |
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Pouneh Nasseri | ||||
2010 | Neera Sodhi | Benjamin Howard | Aaron Harper – “Reflective Creative Projects on a 3rd Year Pediatrics Clerkship” |
Laura Doan – Changes in Medicine from the 1920’s to Today: Exploring the Life Story Narratives of Patients Age 70 and Over
Stephanie Le – Comparison and Contrast of Asian and Non-Asian Physician/Patient Interactions |
Benjamin Howard | Julie Hui – “Reflective Creative Projects on a 3rd Year Pediatrics Clerkship” |
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2009 | Mariam Naqvi | Not awarded in 2009 | ||
2008 | Sheila Chan | Sheila Chan | ||
Adam Kaplan | ||||
Sarah Mourra | ||||
2007 | Sarah Blaschko | Brian McMichael | ||
Brian McMichael | ||||
Tracy Slone | ||||
2006 | Sayeh Beheshti | Meghann Kaiser | ||
Meghann Kaiser | Gail Ryan Raphael | |||
Troy Pulas | ||||
Gail Ryan Raphael | ||||
2005 | Monya De | Monya De | ||
Eric Hegedus | ||||
2004 | Marisa Chang | Marisa Chang | ||
Michael Doo | ||||
Thanh Truong | ||||
2003 | N/A | Grainne McEvoy-Mulholland | ||
2002 | N/A | Melinda Glines |