Medical Students Showcase Their Creativity at 8th Annual Story Slam

Medicine is not only about diagnosing and treating disease, but also about soothing the soul — and that goes for patients and practitioners. The annual Story Slam event gives students a chance to explore the power of words and music to better understand the human experience of illness and healing.

More than 100 students, faculty and friends gathered on Oct. 4 for Story Slam, an annual medical humanities tradition that highlights the talent of medical students from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and its Lerner College of Medicine program.

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Author and poet Jeanne Bryner served as the evening’s keynote speaker. A retired emergency room nurse, Bryner has several books in print. She has received awards for nursing leadership and scholarship; community service; and writing. She has received writing fellowships from Bucknell, the Ohio Arts Council and the Vermont Studio Center. Her play, “Foxglove Canyon,” was adapted from her story with the same name. Bryner co-edited “Learning to Heal: Reflections on Nursing School in Poetry and Prose” (Kent State University Press, 2018), which won the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing from the Working-Class Studies Association and the AJN (American Journal of Nursing) Book of the Year for Creative Writing.

The student performances included:

• “New beginnings” by Neelufar Raja (CWRU, M1)
• “On being the white walls of hospital halls” by Sriya Donthi (CWRU, M2)
• “Breath of man” by Argen Omurzakov (CWRU)
• “In my hands” by Elliot Crooks (CWRU, M2)
• “The shadow” by Daniela Schmulevich (’27)
• “The mirror duet” by Mozart and played by Akua Abrah (’27) and Tim Nicholas (CWRU, M3)
• “The ghosts in autumn” by Danielle Wilfand (CWRU, M2)
• “Quiet rooms” by Mike Komarovsky (’27)
• “Anonymous” by Akshatha Silas (CWRU, M3)
• “Am I allowed” by Maeve Pascoe (’24)

“I am a strong believer of the value of humanity in medicine and feel that as medical students we owe it to our future patients to remain in touch with our creativity and personhood,” says Ryan Rilinger (’27), who helped organize the event. “Story Slam is a wonderful space for medical students to reflect on and share their emotions and perspectives on the challenges and privileges of the medical profession.”

In addition to Ryan, this year’s Story Slam was organized by CCLCM students Daniela Schmulevich (’27) and Mark Solter (’27).

The event was underwritten by the CCLCM Office of the Executive Dean (Bud Isaacson, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Executive Dean) and the R.J. Fasenmeyer Center for Clinical Immunology (Leonard Calabrese, DO, Professor of Medicine). Administrative and planning support for the CCLCM student coordinators was provided by Katherine Burke, MFA, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Medical Humanities program.