 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
GWUMC NewsPauline Chen, M.D., New York Times Bestselling Author Delivers Annual Stuart M. Fidler, M.D. Memorial Lectureposted: October 15, 2009, 12:33 PM Family, friends, and colleagues, along with Medical Center faculty and students gathered to honor the memory of Dr. Stuart Fidler at the 4th annual Stuart M. Fidler, M.D. Memorial Lecture, held in Ross Hall on Oct. 8. Established in 2005 by Dr. Fidler’s family and friends, the lecture focuses on the human side of medicine. This year’s guest speaker was Pauline Chen, M.D., surgeon and author of New York Times bestseller Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality. Dr. Chen is also a columnist for The New York Times.
Jim Scott, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, welcomed everyone to the lecture and said that Dr. Fidler was “a remarkable physician and a remarkable gentleman.” He explained that the combination of those traits made him a role model for all doctors.
Dr. Fidler’s son Peter and his colleague and friend Robert Wilkinson, M.D., gave the opening remarks and spoke of Dr. Fidler’s career in medicine and his love for his patients. “He knew that the secret to caring for patients is caring for patients,” said Dr. Wilkinson. “This lecture is meant to introduce students to his ideals – the science and the art of medicine.”
Matthew Mintz, M.D., associate professor of Medicine and director of GW’s Primary Care Clerkship introduced Dr. Chen and mentioned that he is an avid reader of her New York Times column.
Dr. Chen began her lecture titled, “Our Best Selves: One Surgeon’s View on the Practice of Medicine,” by telling the audience that she has recently met up with a friend who was a patient in Dr. Fidler’s practice. When she told her friend that she had the honor of giving the Fidler Lecture, her friend remarked, “Dr. Fidler was your kind of hero.”
Dr. Chen went on to ask the question, “Is it possible to provide compassionate care in a health care system that fears death?” She told personal stories from her experiences as a surgeon and referenced a recent health care study that shows end of life care discussions help patients with the grieving process. She stated that this study shows the need doctors to practice the art of medicine saying, “The threads of science and art have become unraveled, and as a profession we have chosen to hold tightly to only one – science.”
In conclusion she repeated her question “Is it possible to provide compassionate care in a health care system that fears death?” She told the audience that she believes it is possible, saying, “We must bring together science and art, create a space for critical reflection and thought, and remember what really matters – being our best selves.”
Dr. Fidler actively practiced Internal Medicine and Endocrinology in downtown Washington, D.C. for 30 years, while contributing in a significant way to the teaching efforts of the Department of Medicine and GW. His family described him as “an old-fashioned doctor,” who never cut corners and spent as much time with his patients as they needed. He had more than 3,000 patients, many of whom stayed with him for 30 years. |
|
|
|
|