Maryland Center for the Book

Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Health Care

Health care professionals at Maryland hospitals connect with colleagues and increase their empathy for patients and each other through this hospital-based reading and discussion program.

Participants connect the worlds of science and lived experience, contemplate professional roles and relationships, and share reflections with colleagues by reading and discussing relevant plays, short stories, poetry, fiction, and personal narratives.

Literature & Medicine has a significant effect on the way participants understand their work and their relationships with patients and with each other. It’s proven to be an innovative and cost-effective way to improve patient care while contributing to participant’s job satisfaction.

Is your medical institution a partner with MHC? Join other Maryland hospitals including Mercy Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Kennedy-Krieger Institute, Howard County General Hospital, and Union Hospital in Elkton, and experience Literature & Medicine at your hospital. Contact Jean Wortman at 410-685-4187 for more information.

Check out this article in Synapse for an inside look at Literature & Medicine in Maryland!

See what participants say about the program: Literature & Medicine

Review a sampling of favorite readings

Developed by the Maine Humanities Council in 1997, more than 90 hospitals in 19 states now participate in this innovative program. Find out more about Literature & Medicine from the Maine Humanities Council.