Claire Wilson, MS2At the same time that the world was reckoning with widespread outcry after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and dealing with the growing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Claire Wilson was experiencing a number of changes in her personal life. During her first year of medical school, a stressful and stretching time by itself, Wilson was managing family challenges and working through her own reactions to COVID-19 as an emerging medical provider and the racial injustice conversations happening around her as a multiracial woman. 

It was a time marked by protests, personal reflection and increasingly honest storytelling surrounding racism in America, and Wilson’s own story began to unfold in a way she never imagined.

Months after these experiences, Wilson opened up to share her story with peers and mentors as part of a practical summer anti-oppression experience led by the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s Office of Identity, Inclusion and Collective Conscience (I2C2). I2C2 works to celebrate diverse identities, support inclusion and belonging of multiple stakeholders, and increase understanding and action around achieving health equity and social justice. Brandi Shah, M.D., MPH, director of I2C2, and Shyla Fields, program manager, work closely with U2P students to cultivate brave spaces for the students to learn how to elevate diverse voices and recognize and address social determinants of health in primary care and broader community.

A child of a multiracial family and resident of Birmingham, Wilson created a digital story during the culminating mini-storytelling workshop of the summer I2C2 program. The students were challenged to explore their and reconcile their own lived experience and personal connections to present-day anti-oppression and social justice issues that they learned about during the week. Wilson’s digital story demonstrates the brave and clear voice of a burgeoning physician committed to health justice, as well as the accessible skills-building of digital storytelling for health, all while weaving personal history into the critical conversations she is having as part of the CU2RE Urban Underserved Pathway (U2P) program.

I2C2’s week-long anti-oppression course took U2P students on tours of Birmingham and Montgomery Civil Rights locations, integrating the story of the southern cities into the broader story of the impact of racism, intersecting social determinants, and health inequity. The group focused on the complicated history of race and medicine, and how the students' own stories, past and future, could contribute to healing and equity. Shah and Fields provided creative support and mentorship for the students as they grew new understanding of each other and their practice community to engage in courageous self-reflection and personal and professional story sharing.

“Spending an intentional, mutually-enriching week with the inaugural CU2RE medical student cohort—and my emerging colleagues—provided some of the rejuvenating transformative power that sustains me in my own career,” said Shah. “I am grateful to the entire group for bringing all of themselves to the experience, and especially grateful to Claire for encapsulating the experience in her equally transformative digital story and reflections.”

Wilson shared her digital story and took time to reflect on her personal storytelling journey.

Q. What does storytelling in medicine mean to you?

A. “The practice of hearing and telling stories (even data driven stories) is, in my opinion what “makes the magic happen”. This is how we as medical professionals facilitate relationship and meaningful connection with our patients, which our curriculum teaches is the most fundamental skill to have as a physician. I think storytelling in medicine is at the heart of both the science and art of medicine.”

Q. How did the week of I2C2 summer programming meet your expectations as a U2P student?

A. “I2C2 brought an essential component to the U2P summer program. The week helped bridge gaps between classroom knowledge and real-world challenges and provided experiential context for many of the concepts that U2P focuses on, like racism in medicine and health equity. The program added important context to our medical education and connected us to the community.”

Q. What moments, activities, conversations, reflections stood out and why?

A. “One of the most impactful moments of the week for me was the spontaneous meeting with a member of the NAACP in the Civil Rights District and hearing her share stories of her experiences in Birmingham, growing up during the Civil Rights movement. It truly brought history to life and illuminated the importance of furthering the work of equality and equity in my generation. This visit was followed by a tour of the murals painted throughout the city after the violence and unrest of the summer of 2020. It was an eye-opening juxtaposition of what it looks like to be an activist then versus now. We also took a tour throughout Birmingham that included student research on different historical sites throughout the city. It was special to see the legacy of the city through the eyes of my fellow students.”

Q. The culminating activity of the week was a mini-workshop about using digital storytelling to reflect on your experience and raise awareness for change. Reflect on your experience of creating a digital story for this purpose.

A. “I thought the digital storytelling was an appropriate culmination of the week. It provided an opportunity for free expression, reflection, creativity and most importantly, was another opportunity to be radically honest with our colleagues. In a professional culture that is often fraught with burnout, high expectations, and perfectionism when the nature of medicine itself is inherently artistic and imperfect, I was thankful to have the opportunity to let my personal story and experience of the week be expressed authentically.”

Q. Overall, how did the week's programming influence you personally and professionally as you think about your career trajectory?

A. “After reflecting on all the experiences the week provided, I am more determined now to be a member of the medical community that values advocacy and healthcare policy reform. In addition to serving the underserved (especially in Birmingham), I hope my career affords me the opportunity to sponsor and support reform that affords more space for patient—doctor storytelling and reintroduces humanism and art into the culture of medicine that grows increasingly sterile, profit focused, and abbreviated.”

Q. What does an office like I2C2 provide for you as a medical trainee and other ways to meet your needs?

A. “I2C2 is a place I can ask questions about policy and advocacy, engage with the community and physician mentors, and reflect on my experiences safely. It’s a great place to find resources, support, and explore what the medical community is learning and unlearning together.”

Learn more about I2C2 and their work by visiting their webpage.