On November 8, the award ceremony of 2024 ‘The Warmth of Medicine’ Medical Humanities Essay Contest was held at Peking University Third Hospital, hosted by the School of Health Humanities of Peking University and NEJM Frontiers of Medicine, co-organized by Future Technology Institute of Peking University, and supported by Taikang Yicai Public Health Fund and Beijing Life Oasis Public Welfare Service Center. At the ceremony, awards were presented to the first, second and third prize winners.

Attending the ceremony were Professor Eric Rubin, Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM); Ms. Bi Shumin, national author, attending physician of internal medicine and registered counselor; Professor Xiao Ruiping, Associate Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Frontiers of Medicine and Dean of College of Future Technology Peking University; Professor Guo Liping, Dean of School of Health Humanities, Peking University; Mr. Ying Weiwei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Taikang Yicai Public Welfare Foundation, Assistant President and Secretary of the Board of Taikang Insurance Group, and other representatives from the organizers and supporters, as well as the winners of the first, second and third prizes of the essay writing contest.

Associate Professor Chen Qi, Vice Dean of School of Health Humanities, presided over the opening speech, in which she introduced the selection and winners of the event.

Professor Xiao Ruiping delivered a warm speech. She  stated that medical humanities education has a unique status in medical  training, and that medical personnel are not only masters of medical  technology, but also ‘healers’ with empathy and sense of responsibility.  The event encourages doctors to put their benevolence and care for  patients into action. This humanistic spirit makes medical personnel  different from other professionals. Medical humanism is an indispensable  part of medical students' education.

Mr. Weiwei Ying delivered a speech on behalf of  Taikang Yicai Public Welfare Foundation. He pointed out that Taikang  always adheres to the fundamental values of ‘respecting life, caring for  life, and honoring life’, promotes the development of the health  industry by supporting medical humanities activities, and provides  support for the continuous practice of medical humanities. He emphasized  that “medicine needs not only the depth of technology, but also the  warmth of humanity”.

Ms. Bi Shumin shared her  feelings as a judge of the essay contest, saying that the awarded  essays not only demonstrated the benevolence of medical personnel, but  also manifested the light of their humanity in the face of life and  death. She pointed out that even if medical science is powerless, love  and respect can still bring comfort to patients and their families, and  this light of humanity grants medicine a deeper meaning.

During  the award presentation session, the honored guests presented awards to  the first, second and third prize winners in turn (See list below) and  took group photos.

The first prize winner,  Dr. Zhou Xiang of Yiyang Central Hospital in Hunan Province, fondly  recounted his story of accompanying his sick grandmother, stressing the  influence of family on medical treatment. He expressed his gratitude to  the contest for giving him the opportunity to convey his innermost  feelings of awe and gratitude. He also encouraged more young people to  devote themselves to medicine, believing that students can change their  destiny through medicine, which focuses on professionalism and  humanistic care.

The  second prize winner, Dr. Cui Zhao of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, shared  his thoughts on the clinical application of medical humanities and  narrative medicine, as well as his own thoughts on teaching humanistic  medicine. Through the practice of doctor-patient communication, he  gradually realized the importance of humanistic care in improving  patient compliance and building doctor-patient trust. He said that he  would continue to promote the curriculum construction of narrative  medicine.

In the closing speech,  Professor Guo Liping summarized the efforts made in the field of medical  humanities in recent years, stressing that medical humanities is not  only the responsibility of medical personnel, but also requires the  support and institutional guarantee of the whole society. She mentioned  that medical humanities not only lies in academic discussions, but also  in transferring warmth and care to patients, so that medical personnel  could better practice medical humanities under institutional support.

Mr.  Xiao Wanchao, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Taikang  Healthcare, congratulated the winners and the organizers. He pointed out  that medicine requires not only exquisite professional skills, but also  medical humanism, which is highly in line with Taikang's core values.  He recalled his experience of humanistic care in hospital work, saying  that the award-winning essays demonstrated the deep care and reflection  of medical personnel on life. Taikang actively practices medical  humanism in its business as well and hopes to continue to promote the  progress of the medical industry and the inheritance of humanism in the  future.

Professor Eric Rubin  gave special gratitude to the organizers and participants of the event.  He pointed out that humanism is particularly important to the  professional significance of medical personnel against the backdrop of  the rapid development of new technologies such as artificial  intelligence. He also mentioned the heavy workload faced by medical  personnel in China, and called on medical personnel to not only care for  their patients, but also learn to care for themselves in such a  high-pressure environment, which is also an important part of medical  humanism.

‘The  Warmth of Medicine’ Medical Humanities Essay Contest provides a  platform for medical practitioners to express their inner feelings and  reflect on the doctor-patient relationship. As Ms. Bi Shumin said,  medicine should not stop at technological breakthroughs, but also needs  the warmth of humanity. The personal experiences and humanistic stories  shared by the winners gave the audience a deep impression of the warmth  and commitment of medical practitioners. In the future, the organizers  will continue to promote the development of medical humanism, so that  more medical practitioners can give medicine a deeper meaning while  curing patients.