It is not uncommon to hear of students studying unexpected combinations of disciplines, such as music industry and philosophy or dance and psychology. For Pamela Schaff, director of the Master of Science program in narrative medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC, studying disparate subjects was the key to breaking boundaries. 

As an English major on the pre-med track at Pomona College, then as a voluntary educator at USC and clinician at Keck, Schaff piloted one of the newest narrative medicine programs in the nation. With help from Erika Wright, the two polished and presented a new approach to medical training in the fall of 2020.

 “The idea is that doctors trained in the study of stories will be better doctors, and a lot of this … is based on a reception to literary texts and an understanding that … doctors who have a sensitivity to their nuances, when they sit across from a patient, will hear what they’re saying not as a collection of symptoms, but as the story of their life,” said Kristiana Willsey, a lecturer in anthropology as well as narrative medicine.

Narrative medicine, the application of narrative study to practices in medicine, became the perfect incubator for reconciling these seemingly opposite cultures, which may not be so separate after all. 

“When I learned about the field of narrative medicine, I understood that I was way ahead of my time, that this was a critical part of my journey,” Schaff said. “[Literature] allowed me to understand the world beyond my own lived experience. What could be better training than that for medicine?” 

At the core of medicine is a relationship between patients and clinicians that must be tended to cultivate trust, and this sense of trust can only flourish through the active listening of stories.

Through the program, students learn the act of close reading, which requires the dissection of the reader’s biases and the author’s purpose. In applying this lens to their work, students may find that the practice of close reading allows them to converse with broader worldly discourses. 

“[It is] a way of reflecting on larger social [and] political issues. It’s a way of engaging with what’s going on in the world and reflecting on and thinking about the impact of that,” said Wright, assistant professor of clinical medical education and lecturer in English at Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. 

In addition to acting as director of the narrative medicine as well as Humanities, Ethics, Art and Law program, Schaff works as a clinician in family medicine and pediatrics at Keck Hospital of USC. For her, the close reading practice and lessons of narrative medicine remain central guiding points of her patient-physician interactions. 

“It’s close listening rather than actual reading, but it’s paying attention not just to the words but to what’s not said, to the body language, to signs of emotional distress … I’m looking at everything,” Schaff said. 

On a more individual level, the work of narrative medicine continues to be a grounding point in piecing together the miscommunication divide between patients and clinicians. 

“Every person’s experience of illness is different because each human has an individual background story, trauma, family, culture, history that is the context in which they will heal or will not heal, and the ability to understand the story is just as, if not more critical, than understanding the science that is involved in their disease,” Schaff said. 

The master’s degree program launched in Fall 2020, right as the coronavirus pandemic began. At the beginning of her professional journey, Schaff took a voluntary faculty position as an instructor in the Introduction to Clinical Medicine program at Keck. With dedication and receptivity to the new opportunity, she gained a full-time position, acting as the director of the program. 

While working, Schaff received a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing at USC and began to teach an elective in narrative medicine. During this time, she met Wright, now associate director of the narrative medicine program, and their dual interest in the crossroads of literature and medicine fostered their relationship today. 

“We saw it as a contribution to the University in terms of a new field that was interdisciplinary, that bridged both campuses,” Schaff said.  “From the start, we also had a real focus on community engagement and what our work could bring to our community partners.”

Schaff said the work of narrative medicine actively combats the preconception that science is the sole framework in medicine. Yet, additional hurdles present themselves as skepticism arises. According to Willsey, people are losing faith in medical establishments, and many believe the anthropological side of narrative medicine is anti-science in nature. Still, others attribute the art form as being elitist. 

“There’s a perception that [art] is a luxury, and that [it] … is available to you after you do the bare work of survival, that rich people have art,” Willsey said. “[But] everyone has art, and art is integral to humanity. What it means to be human is to make things pointlessly, unnecessarily beautiful, and … even the poorest people in the world have and make art and find it deeply important.”   

Even amid skepticism, the program continues to make gains. As Schaff noted, more students have come to the program aware of the field and its significance to medical training. On Aug. 22, Schaff welcomed a new cohort to the narrative medicine program. 

“As I listened to each student introduce themselves, I just thought, ‘This is exactly what I want to be doing,’” Schaff said. “At the heart of what [students] are seeking is that ability to take on another’s perspective, to engage with stories … How can we really do the work of healthcare if we don’t do this paying attention and make those connections that ultimately, we hope, are in the service of healing?”

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Erika Wright was a graduate student when the narrative medicine master’s program began and incorrectly titled the Introduction to Clinical Medicine program. It was updated Sept. 7 at 1:14 p.m. to reflect the correct information. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.