Arts and Humanities Initiative

The Arts and Humanities Initiative (AHI) is the hub for arts and humanities at Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals. AHI was launched in October 2015. The Initiative is multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional, with members from nearly every hospital affiliate of Harvard Medical School, every medical specialty, and every art form.

The arts and humanities are powerful tools in medical education that have the potential to improve professionalism, reflection and empathy among physicians and trainees, foster humanism, reduce burnout, enhance perspective, sharpen physicians’ analytic and diagnostic skills, and improve teamwork and communication.

Mission

The Arts and Humanities Initiative aims to foster creativity and scholarship in the arts and medical humanities at Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals, to support a community of faculty and students engaged and interested in the arts and humanities, and to enhance patient care through reflection and compassion.

Projects

The Arts and Humanities Initiative supports programming related to the arts and humanities. AHI co-sponsors events and projects with HMS departments and with student groups. Examples of projects AHI has supported include:

  • AHI is one of the sponsors of the 2024 Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine music video "What Kind of Doc Will I Be?". (Link below).
  • AHI supported theatre workshops for MD students with playwright Ricardo Perez-Gonzalez. 
  • AHI co-sponsored Professional Development Week, where museum educators facilitated workshops for MD students at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
  • AHI funded tickets to the Boston ballet for MD students. 
  • AHI has sponsored refreshments for events related to the arts and humanities at Harvard Medical School campus. 
  • AHI has organized speaker events in Boston. One example is the panel discussion at La Laboratorie with Yo-Yo Ma (photo below). 

Contact

You may contact the AHI team at artsandhumanities@hms.harvard.edu

Harvard Medical School MD, PhD, HST in red letters on a brick wall
Harvard Medical School & HSDM 2024 Music Video: WHAT KIND OF DOC WILL I BE?
The Arts and Humanities Initiative is one of the sponsors of this music video by HMS year 1 students.
Four people on a stage
Panel discussion at La Laboratorie with Yo-Yo Ma (on left)