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Every year, dressed in their bright new white coats, first-year Harvard Medical School (HMS) students visit BWH to observe their first patient clinic as part of orientation. On Aug. 19, roughly 200 incoming students filed into Bornstein with much excitement, snapping photos with their new classmates and filling the seats and aisles beneath portraits of medical luminaries from the Brigham’s past.
In an enlightening presentation, students heard from primary care physician James O’Connell, MD, president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, and pediatrician Thomas Bernard Kinane, MD, both of MGH. The physicians each introduced one of their longtime patients, who shared their medical journeys. Kinane’s patient, in his early 20s, and his parents described their experiences with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder that affects breathing, especially during sleep, and results in a shortage of oxygen and a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood.
O’Connell’s patient explained the complex needs and difficult lives of the homeless population, having been homeless and sick for many years herself. She encouraged the students to have compassion and recognize the humanity of the homeless population.
Motioning to O’Connell and Kinane, she said: “These are the kinds of doctors you want to be.” Students also had the chance to ask the physicians, patients and family members questions, and in turn received their advice.
“The lesson is to listen to the story of your patients and the people who know them best,” said the father of Kinane’s patient.
Added the patient’s mother: “When we question you, we’re not trying to usurp your authority, but we pick up on the smallest changes in our kids.”