Dear Editor I read with great interest the article by Adams et al. highlighting themes emerging from mission statements of medical humanities programs in United States and Canadian medical schools (Adams et al. Citation2022). While I agree that mission statements can guide an institution’s goals, I find that spaces for medical humanities can either be embedded into other initiatives or be manifested by events not led by the institution. As a medical student and nationally acclaimed poet, I would like to share my own experiences in medical humanities. During my four years at Harvard Medical School, I have had numerous opportunities to engage in medical humanities; however, Harvard does not have a (1) a ‘program,’ ‘division,’ or ‘department’ for medical humanities nor (2) a mission statement or leaning objectives. My medical humanities experiences have included ones embedded into other institution-led initiatives as follows: reciting a poem in the annual Anatomical Donor Memorial Service, partaking in an annual cultural showcase consisting of music and dance aimed at welcoming new admitted students, and receiving financial support from Harvard to work on a collection of poems as my scholarly project. Just as importantly, with the approval of the medical school, I have founded and led the Medical Humanities Interest Group where visual and written art has served as the foundation for important discussions with classmates from varying backgrounds on ideas ranging from social justice to health equity.
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