'Singing the Same Song' : A Global Perspective on the Experience of Illness

1 credits · Undergraduate

'When I go to see my diabetes doctor, I feel that he and I are singing the same song.' This comment from a South African man battling chronic illness underlines the wonderful potential of the patient-provider relationship. We will be using the doctor-patient relationship and the patient experience as a lens to understand the place of illness and empathy in human existence. We will explore concepts of culture and global health. How does culture affect all of us? How might members of marginalized groups in the US and citizens of low and middle income countries experience the processes of illness and healing. Along the way, we will all be learning about ourselves, how it feels to express and receive empathy, and how the simple act of being curious make us better people.