The international collaboration on Medicine and the Humanities is a partnership between the University of Ottawa, the Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, the Université de Lyon, and the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This collaboration will lead to the creation of rich and innovative educational content to be used for the teaching of humanities in medicine by enabling experts in the humanities and social sciences, and teachers in the field of medicine to work together. New pedagogical activities to benefit all partners will be developed, such as videoconference workshops, summer schools, etc. The content will be organized around three major themes: knowledge (epistemology), relationships (i.e. patient – doctor), and responsibilities.

Joint accreditation and opportunities for cross-supervision will be established.

Objectives of the collaboration

The partners will:

  • Share educational content and resources.
  • Share expertise and sources of expertise.
  • Together create content and educational resources relevant to their respective teaching programs.
  • Promote exchanges and dialogue between experts in the humanities and social sciences and medical clinicians.
  • Foster exchanges, communication and the creation of learning activities intended for students in the various programs offered by the four partners.
  • Encourage research on the value of expertise in humanities and social sciences for students in health sciences, in medicine and in traditional Chinese medicine.

Pedagogical objectives for students

Following active participation in the program, students will be able to:

  • Turn to world history and philosophy in order to better understand what shapes and influences the values in societies and values in medicine.
  • Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of health care professionals.
  • Identify factors that influence perspectives and values in a context of cultural diversity.
  • Reflect on complex ethical issues, understand them more clearly and put forward better possible approaches.
  • Demonstrate compassion in the relationships they develop with patients.
  • Demonstrate a tolerance for ambiguity when faced with difficult clinical situations.
  • Discuss the virtues that are necessary for the practice of medicine.