“Narrative Medicine is the study patients’ stories, the way patients tell their stories, and how physicians receive those stories”.
Jenny Li – Class of 2021
Since 2009, when Rita Charon began the first Master of Science in Narrative Medicine program at Columbia University, the field has experienced incredible growth, both nationally and internationally. In 2018, Dr. Charon was recognized for her contributions to the field when she was awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Jefferson Lectureship. USC is only the second graduate degree program in Narrative Medicine and is fully endorsed by Dr. Charon and core faculty from Columbia, who are part of our advisory board. A number of universities and academic health centers have included Narrative Medicine methods in their training programs.
See also this article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper about Narrative Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Graduates of our program will be trained to use and teach Narrative Medicine methods in a variety of fields that intersect with sustaining the health of individuals and communities. This training will enhance the credentials of healthcare professionals who currently see patients and clients and will strengthen the applications of students applying to medical school or other health professional schools, PhD programs in the humanities, or similar advanced degree programs.
Recent graduate, Kathy Riley, received funding to develop a series of workshops for Cancer Support Community LA through a Visions and Voices Arts in Action grant.
The MS degree in Narrative Medicine is not a clinical credential or license to practice medicine.
Please refer to the expanded course descriptions for more details. In general, every course includes theory, fiction/non-fiction, and writing (critical and creative) consistent with graduate-level requirements.
This is designed as a 1-year program, but it may be possible to spread the courses over more than one year. Note that MDED 501 must be taken in the Fall and is the prerequisite for MDED 502, which is offered only in the Spring.
Currently, we are only offering in-person instruction. We are following recommendations that adhere to USC’s policies regarding in-person instruction.
In my clinical practice, I rely daily on skills learned through narrative medicine. For instance, when talking with a patient who has an uncontrolled chronic disease, I pay special attention to the language s/he/they use(s) to describe their condition. Do they personalize their condition or speak of it in third person? Is it an enemy or a companion? Do they indicate agency or subjugation to the condition. This narrative influences the approach I take with treatment decisions and patient education. I believe that by aligning treatment and education with the patient’s narrative, the patient becomes a more engaged participant in chronic disease management, which contributes to improved outcomes.
Theresa Sivers-Teixeira, MSPA, PA-C
USC Keck School of Medicine Family Medicine
See also what Rita Charon and Jonathan Chou have said about the practical application of Narrative Medicine methods. See the AAMC’s discussion of Narrative Medicine here.
Anyone working with patients, clients, students (in short, people) who need support maintaining or achieving health, and finding relief from suffering (mental, physical, or social) will benefit from the training provided by the Narrative Medicine program. Creative writers, filmmakers, journalists, literary scholars, non-profit community leaders/organizers, teachers, and spiritual leaders will develop renewed value in their work, as they learn strategies for attending to the healing (broadly defined) of others and of their communities.
Read here about how a recent graduate uses Narrative Medicine in a community project funded in part by the USC Arts in Action grant.
TIPS for Preparing Application Materials
By the end of the program, students will be expected to demonstrate competence in multiple written forms (literary analysis, creative writing, qualitative research, and ethnography, among others) and the application of theoretical concepts to their close reading of texts. Applicants do not need to be experts in close reading or even familiar with it as a concept (we will teach you), but the evidence of promise and the personal statement should demonstrate the applicant’s curiosity about the way texts are put together and the role of narrative in their lives and the world. [Hints for Close Reading]
In addition to attending to and honoring individual stories of health and illness in the clinical encounter, USC’s MS in Narrative Medicine program is designed to strengthen and reshape the ways institutions and individuals understand the relationship between clinical medicine, public health, and social justice. Prior experience in these areas is not required, but if you have studied, written about, or done research/community work in health justice or advocacy, we welcome your reflections in your Personal Statement and/or Evidence of Promise.
Before writing your personal statement or choosing your evidence of promise, read the course descriptions, program goals, objectives, and competencies to make sure they align with your Personal Statement and Evidence of Promise.