The Hippocratic Society Conference – Call for Abstracts: Hope In & For Medicine
Burnout, moral distress, workforce shortages, institutional pressures, financial conflicts of interest, professional creep, intractable pain, uncertain diagnoses… many forces in healthcare today feel overwhelming. Against such challenges, individual action can seem futile.
What can one clinician do to change a reimbursement structure? What can a student do in the face of entrenched institutional dysfunction? How do we pursue a more beautiful practice of medicine when time and clarity feel increasingly scarce?
We propose that healthcare today needs the virtue of Hope.
Hope acts now for the sake of a future good. It embraces uncertainty yet moves forward in the face of it. Hope envisions a better future aligned with medicine’s deepest commitments and sustains us as we work to build it, especially when outcomes are not guaranteed.
At this year’s conference, we will explore the virtue of Hope in medicine:
- How can we cultivate hope with and for our patients, colleagues, and institutions?
- How do we sustain hope in medical education and clinical formation?
- How do we maintain hope in our own lives as clinicians and trainees?
- What is the good we seek, and what practices help us persevere toward it?
- For what and for whom are we hoping?
We welcome abstracts from physicians, faculty, trainees, and students reflecting on Hope, virtue, clinical experience, or any topic connected to the Hippocratic Society’s mission. See suggested topics below.
Abstract Submissions
Abstracts can address the following format/presentations:
- Research – Qualitative, theoretical, or educational research
- Essays/Narrative – Narrative medicine or philosophical/ethical exploration
- Creative Piece – Poetry, short stories, visual art, audio/film
- Workshop – Interactive sessions, case discussions, or virtue-related skill development
Abstract should be 300-500 words and include 1-3 learning objectives.
All submissions are due by 11:59 pm on January 31st.
Submissions will be reviewed by our Conference Planning Committee, and decisions will be returned by February 28th.
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
Suggested Topics
Themes Specifically Related to Hope
- Hope as a virtue in clinical practice
- Hope in medical training and formation
- Sustaining hope amid uncertainty, suffering, and complexity
- Hope and moral distress; hope and renewal
- Hope for institutions, communities, and the future of medicine
Topics Drawn from the Hippocratic Society’s Mission
- Moral and professional formation of clinicians
- Character development and the virtues of the good physician
- The role of community, mentorship, and “moral friendship” in becoming a good clinician
- The nature, purpose, and ends of medicine
- The meaning of suffering, illness, healing, and dying well
- Good clinical judgement (prudence) and its cultivation
- The clinician-patient relationship
- Challenges of corporatization, demoralization, and the “provider” identity
- Experiences from Hippocratic Fora, Symposia, or chapter activities
Other Eligible Topics
- Narrative accounts of clinicians or patients
- Reflections on teaching virtue or ethics
- Educational innovation related to formation
- Research for flourishing, burnout, moral injury, purpose, or medical culture
