Please describe your work and why the principle of
empathy is relevant to it.
The theory of Counter-Transference in Psychology
postulates that the practitioner's feelings are entangled with the
patient's. Does this also happen in the medical field?
How is compassion related to empathy in your
professional opinion?
What are the differences and are both necessary
in medical care or in your work otherwise?
How do those providing objective medical care,
especially around the grim subject of one's own death, provide
compassionate care without absorbing the emotions surrounding imminent
death?
What is the difference between Sympathy and Empathy?
How does one foster and nurture empathy within the
context of your work?
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Panelists:
Keonnis R. Taylor, MPA (producer/moderator)
Executive Director.
Comfort Homesake. Comfort Homesake
provides
Empathy Training to individuals and groups. As the Executive Director of
Comfort Homesake, it is my job to lead an effort to advocate and
educate around the benefits of hospice and advanced care planning. This
work has partnered my organization with respected leaders in government,
healthcare, local communities, and the private sector. As we champion a
standard of care that "no one likes to talk about," I have found that a
constant point of connection in discussing the needs of an aging society
and those facing debilitating illness and/or medically frailty is the
need for empathy.
Jodi Halpern, M.D., Ph.D,
is Associate Professor of Bioethics and Medical
Humanities at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Joint
Medical Program and the School of Public Health. As a psychiatrist with
a background in philosophy, she investigates how emotions and the
imagination shape healthcare decisions of clinicians and patients. Her
work has had a longstanding focus on empathy. She is the author of From
Detached Concern to Empathy: Humanizing Medical Practice (Oxford
University Press). Jodi is also a featured contributor to The Huffington
Post.
Barbara Beach, M.D.
Barbara Beach, M.D.
is Co-founder and Medical Director of George
Mark Children's House. Barbara has been a pediatric oncologist at
Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland for more than 30 years.
As a result of her clinical interaction with Dr. Kathy Hull in the
1990’s, Barbara’s long-held dream of building a pediatric palliative
care center was realized with the opening of George Mark Children’s
House in 2004. Barbara completed her pediatric residency at Children’s
Hospital Oakland and her pediatric hematology oncology fellowship at the
University of California, San Diego. She also has served as medical
advisor for Hospice for Young People and Comfort for Kids.
Marilyn Ababio, MPA
Marilyn Ababio, MPA began
her career in the military, has been a successful business owner for
nearly 30 years, and is a published researcher, presenter and author on
issues of Ethnic Diversity, Environmental Justice, and Transportation.
After the prolonged illness and eventual passing of a close family
member, Marilyn brought her range of skills and experiences together,
and in 2002 founded Comfort Homesake, a 501c3 hospice advocacy
organization where she now serves as Chair of the Board of Directors. In
addition to running her award-winning garment business, and extensive
civic engagements, Marilyn also serves as the Hospice Systems
Coordinator for Alameda County.
Keonnis Taylor, Executive Director,
and Marilyn Ababio, Director of the Board, at
Comfort Homesak.
A few of the questions addressed were;
How do those providing objective medical care,
especially around the grim subject of one's own death, provide
compassionate care without absorbing the emotions surrounding imminent
death?
Please describe your work and why the principle of
empathy is relevant to it?
The theory of Counter-Transference in Psychology
postulates that the practitioner's feelings are entangled with the
patient's. Does this also happen in the medical field? etc.
Sub Conference: Health Care
Notes:
Dear Partners in Empathy
It's been my pleasure to coordinate with
each of you to prepare a professional panel on the topic of Empathy. As
the Executive Director of
Comfort Homesake, it is my job to lead an effort to advocate and
educate around the benefits of hospice and advanced care planning. This
work has partnered my organization with respected leaders in government,
healthcare, local communities, and the private sector. As we champion a
standard of care that "no one likes to talk about," I have found that a
constant point of connection in discussing the needs of an aging society
and those facing debilitating illness and/or medically frailty is the
need for empathy.
Comfort Homesake has developed the
Empathy training program as a key component of it's
Education platform. The program has garnered funding and support from
the Alameda County Health Services Agency as well as Stanford University
School of Medicine's Ethnogeriatrics Program. We are currently
embarking on our pilot program, and have joined forces with the Center
for Building a Culture of Empathy to deliver this web-based panel
discussion to bring awareness to empathy, through the lens of our
organizational expertise -- hospice and end-of-life care.
