The Remote Narrative Medicine Workshop by Simi Rahman (guest writer)

Dr. Simi Rahman from LA, connected through Skype

I powered up my computer in a fluorescent lit conference room in Los Angeles, on January 19th, 2016, at 7 pm sharp, and found myself transported. Not just across the globe, but back in time. On the screen in front of me were crisp images of people I had known almost 20 years ago, a podium, sounds, accents, rhythms, familiar cadences of English and Urdu, brief flashes of color and the familiar motifs of geometric Islamic art on the wall.

After a brief and efficient test, I was plugged into the first-ever Narrative Medicine Workshop at my Alma Mater, the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi, Pakistan. The audience and I were both able to see each other and the room in which I was seated in California seemed to fade into the background.

The proceedings were kicked off splendidly by a reading from Dr. Asad Mian: a story he'd written about an Emergency Room encounter, one that resonated poignantly within the room and across the continents. Dr. Ayesha Mian then began a discussion to describe the emotions the story evoked. I teach such workshops quite frequently so I am used to the awkward silence as people look at each other and hedge their bets on who will speak first. But nothing doing. This audience was immediately engaged, forthcoming, eager to talk and en pointe. All week I had been trying to picture, with my educator's telescope, what I might expect, in trying to join a workshop remotely, and I will admit, this was not one of the scenarios I thought would come to pass. And then I remembered, of course! This was AKU. Some of the smartest, most motivated, articulate, mission-driven people resided here, and they lived and breathed their patients' stories under some pretty constrained conditions. I know. I'd been one of them once.

So today I found myself linking my own narrative back to that feeling I clearly remember from when I was at AKU. A deep curiosity about the human condition, an easy facility with new ideas, a confident and capable demeanor and an unabashed willingness to learn, understand and improve.

The organizing team at AKU, Karachi

This has always been AKU Medical College's legacy: to give its boldest and brightest minds, like Asad and Ayesha, their colleagues, students and trainees, the space to imagine new narratives in the quest for knowledge.

Narrative medicine is a natural fit here.

Kudos to everyone who participated and to the Critical Creative Innovative Thinking initiative for their vision and support. It has been a distinct honor and privilege to play a small part in bringing the field of Narrative Medicine to AKU.

[from Narrative Medicine]

About the Author: Surraiya Simi Rahman MD (AKU MBBS Class of 1997), is a Pediatric Hospitalist, Medical Educator and a writer. Her interest in Narrative Medicine grew out of an experience of burnout and a search for meaning in her journey as a doctor. Over the last 5 years, she has taught courses in Narrative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Editorial Note: Copyright belongs to the author. This is from a series collected as part of the Narrative Medicine Workshop at AKU on January 20^th, 2016. The editorial work was performed by the Writers’ Guild, an interest group at AKU, with the purpose to promote love of reflective reading and writing, within and outside of  AKU. You can watch Dr. Simi Rahman's presentation on Narrative Medicine here.