Healthcare practitioners are often taught to approach and manage their patients’ bodies at the expense of their own. Becoming sick oneself, or seeing a family member fall ill, can be a traumatizing and bewildering experience.

How can we remember to tend to our own bodies as healthcare practitioners? How can narrative help us remember — and become more aware of — our physical presence in the world?

To explore these questions, our Literary Lunch Hours this season are organized around the theme of the body in practice. Our guest speakers will illuminate how narratives can nourish us, sustain us, and help us make sense of the bodies we inhabit.

These events are free to attend. Please register in advance. Our April edition will be a special in-person evening event. Here’s what we have in store for winter 2024:

• Wednesday, January 31, 2024
  Poet and farmer Alisha Kaplan will unearth themes of sustenance and nutrition in literature and healthcare. Learn more and register.

• Wednesday, February 28, 2024
  Radiologist Dr. Charles Hayter will discuss his book Cancer Confidential, and share his own experience as a practitioner-turned-family caregiver. Learn more and register.

• Wednesday, March 27, 2024
  Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Medical Education Health Humanities Theme Lead Dr. Sarah Kim will share her work on the ways that medical training can damagingly obscure the practitioner’s body, and ways that it can be recovered. Learn more and register.

• Wednesday, April 10, 2024
  Meet fellow learners and speak with members of the NBM Lab community over food and drink. Enjoy creative and reflective readings our learners and colleagues have been working on that reflect on the meaning of “the body in practice.” Learn more and register

About the Literary Lunch Hours

With an emphasis on interactivity and collaboration, our Literary Lunch Hours provide space for members of the NBM Lab community to learn about new work in the field, engage in dialogue, and exchange ideas. We look forward to seeing you online!