Mindworks in Converstion with Eve Makoff | Why Narrative Medicine is More Than Just Storytelling

Описание: In this episode of Mindworks in Conversation, we sit down with physician and educator Eve Makoff, MD, MS, to discuss the disciplined practice of Narrative Medicine. Moving beyond the cliché of the "power of stories," Dr. Makoff explores how a structured, pedagogical approach to the health humanities can transform clinical practice and humanize the modern healthcare system.

Dr. Makoff is the co-editor of the groundbreaking book, Narrative Medicine: A Guidebook to Transforming Hearts and Minds. In this interview, she shares insights from 27 women physicians on using narrative as a tool for ethical reflection, professional development, and radical inclusivity in patient care.
 

Topics covered in this conversation:

Moving Beyond Clichés: Why narrative medicine is a rigorous clinical discipline, not just casual art discussion.

Accessibility & Inclusion: How to engage patients and practitioners who may not be comfortable with traditional writing or formal education through alternative modalities like collage and visual art.

The Facilitator’s Role: The ethics of "holding space" and how identity and lived experience shape narrative workshops.

Institutional Legitimacy: The tension between medicalizing human experience and using the term "Medicine" to grant institutional power to the humanities.

Gender and Authority: Reflection on the unique perspectives of women physicians in a traditionally technocratic field.

Resisting Dehumanization: Can Narrative Medicine act as an antidote to the corporatization of healthcare?

 

Who should watch this?

Medical Educators looking for structured models for the Columbia-informed approach.

Physicians and Nurses seeking to prevent burnout and reconnect with the human element of their work.

Health Humanities Scholars interested in the intersection of bioethics and storytelling.

Patients and Advocates curious about how meaning-making can impact the healing journey.

 

About Our Guest:
Eve Makoff, MD, MS, is a physician and narrative medicine educator. She has spent much of her career focused on palliative care and end-of-life narratives, helping practitioners and patients find meaning in the face of serious illness.

 

Links & Resources:
📖 Get the Book: Narrative Medicine: A Guidebook to Transforming Hearts and Minds [https://www.amazon.com/Narrative-Medicine-...]
🌐 Learn more about Narrative Mindworks:  https://narrativemindworks.org/
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the future of Narrative Practice.