“My documentary fellowship has generated overwhelming interest within my department and for my department. Since starting the program, I have yet to make it through a shift in the ER without another resident or attending inquiring about my latest work, “Hey Parker, how’s your project going? I’ve got an idea for a photo for you . . .” or “Hey Parker, I had this cool case last night. I wish you were there with your camera.” Moreover, the fellowship has become the hot topic at our (resident applicant) interview dinners. As far as I can tell, no other graduate medical education program in the country offers such a unique program for residents. Our candidates are simply blown away on interview day.” – Dr. Andrew Parker, Emergency Medicine
“As a resident, I didn’t always understand why some of my patients were making the decisions they were. Producing this project has made me much more patient and compassionate towards the decisions that people make.” – Dr. Alison Sweeney
“In medicine, you’re forced to consume so much data. People don’t remember data. They remember patient stories. If you can learn a disease through a patient’s story, like the ones we’re producing here, you will own that information for the rest of your life.” – Dr. Christopher Jones
“I think that this program provides an opportunity which is all too often absent in the early years of training — the opportunity to reflect on what it is we do at the hospital, clinics, anywhere we interact with patients. And, that reflection is, within this program, a mentored, fostered reflection which is more than just thinking about what we do, but actually transforming those thoughts and feelings into a creative work which can be used to convey the powerful nature of some of life’s most stark tragedies and warmest triumphs which happen in the context of the doctor-patient relationship. Hopefully it ends up being a program that doesn’t just influence the half-dozen or so residents who actually partake, but also the wider Duke medical community through sharing of the work produced. – Dr. Mary Hoffa
“Attention spans are fleeting, and medical concepts often defy simple explanation. I hope to use my documentary film to capture and hold the attention of my audience for just long enough to explain why infection control problems at assisted-living facilities are important and why the policy changes adopted to address these problems in North Carolina should be emulated elsewhere.” – Dr. Thomas Bender, Resident, Occupational and Environmental Medicine
