Narrative Medicine: An Interview with Maddie Mae Sasse
Maddie Mae Sasse, a Florida native, is a senior attending the University of Tennessee. Maddie Mae built and defended her novel major, Narrative Medicine with a Concentration in Film.
For the last three years, she has worked as the school-wide filmmaker for UTK and creates YouTube videos for her audience of 30,000 subscribers. She is currently pursuing Medical School, and after enough years of practicing medicine as a clinician, she hopes to become a college professor. In her free time, she loves reading, creating content for YouTube, and spending time with her large family and 3 German Shepherds.
What is Narrative medicine, and why did you choose to create/defend this major?
Narrative Medicine was originally coined in 2014 by Rita Charon, a physician, literary scholar, and the Founder and Executive Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. Narrative Medicine as a degree involves reincorporating the humanities into a standard pre-medical degree. Over the years, it has spread to different academic establishments across the nation, although sparse still.I came into college displaying a wide range of interests in high school without a problem. I did the TV Production/ morning announcements and science classes during the school day and basketball after school in high school. When I arrived at college, however, balancing all my passions became much more difficult. As a Neuroscience major, classes, studying, and lab took up all of my time. I craved to use my creativity as I had so much in high school but was drained to the core. In short, I stumbled upon Narrative Medicine.I decided to build and defend this non-existent major at my university to connect with all passions that excite me, incorporating them into my academics in a cohesive manner. Essentially, this degree reincorporates the humanities back into science-- it softens medicine.
How is narrative medicine different from a traditional pre-medical major?
The process of building and defending my major took about five months in all, so in that time, I was able to understand better the gaps that currently exist in a premedical student's current course load. In America, the standard premedical degree lacks immensely in the realm of the humanities. Many colleges only require one semester of sociology and psychology. During my defense of the major, I proposed to add classes pertaining to bioethics, counseling, film, english, public health, and advanced psychology. Furthermore, I realized that traditionally, science courses offer a lot of opportunities for using creativity to solve problems more efficiently, but this was/is not currently being encouraged as a learning tool.Taking the classes in this degree, I have noticed myself utilizing colors and flying through synthesis problems by practicing basic creative problem-solving techniques. Creativity and human connection are an intrinsic part of life and should be treated as a catalyst to science, not its antithesis.
Tell us about your interest in filmmaking.
I envision many of my memories like short films. When I was old enough to understand filming and editing (about 7th grade), I started filming my life and bringing the short movies that I imagined to fruition. I was involved in TV Production in my high school years, although it was more news-based. To continue my passion for narrative filmmaking whilst in TV production, I started uploading my narrative films onto a Youtube channel. My Youtube subscribers grew in numbers throughout high school and college, and today it is a huge part of my life, both emotionally and monetarily. In fact, much of my journey creating my major is carefully chronicled on my Youtube Channel. Although I love spending time on a carefully planned short film, I still capture raw and unedited snapshots of my day, this keeps me inspired and in the moment.
How have you applied your passion for film making to your science career?
When I came to college and started as a Neuroscience major, there was *no* space for any film classes. I went from filming every day to barely at all, leading me to eventually have my first experience with depression during my freshman year. While building my major, I realized that I could use film as a way to bridge the gap that currently exists between a patient's experience and a physician's interpretation. I decided to incorporate film into my major not so I could become a "medical filmmaker," or because I am pursuing whatever Grey's Anatomy exactly is, but because I believe that this medium (and learning about this medium), can only bring me closer to the well-rounded and introspective physician that I hope to be one day.
You took part in a narrative medicine internship at a hospital where you made films for patients, what was that experience like, and how do you think it benefited those patients?
My Narrative Medicine Internship in Minneapolis, MN was among the most transformative experiences of my life thus far. I was able to work under the Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Narrative Medicine to create non-promotional films for various patients in the hospital. Shadowing a diverse array of physicians allowed me to meet many patients with different experiences, ranging from physical trauma to emotional trauma, and I was even able to help some of them heal through film. Each time I finished one of the patient's films, it was clear that we had tapped into a new form of healing that cannot be quite put into words. This internship also allowed me to have many educational experiences related to Trauma-Informed Care, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), and Narrative Medicine. Although I am pursuing the traditional route of medical school next, I know that this experience will help me be an advocate for film and art therapy in the future hospitals and clinics that I will work at.
How have you managed to balance studying for rigorous classes with nurturing your creative side?
After growing tired of my depressive headspace in my freshman year, I popped out of bed one day and walked straight into the building that housed my school's Sports Department. I asked if I could speak with the Department head, and 10 minutes later found myself in his office. Essentially, I asked if they needed a filmmaker, --- and before he could answer, I explained why they needed one. After a great conversation, I was hired on the spot.For the rest of the year, I made videos for the Sports Department until I was promoted to being the sole school-wide filmmaker, which is what I continue to do now as a senior. Because my job has specific work hours, it allows me to focus only on work when I am working and school when I am schooling. This, in combination with creating my major, has allowed me to feel as though I am nurturing my creative side whilst also studying for my science classes.If looking for more tangible tips, scheduling and a consistent sleep schedule is my best friend. Author Bio
Mariam Daud is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. She is currently studying Health Sciences on a pre-clinical track and has aspirations of becoming a physician. Mariam is a public health intern at the Arthritis Foundation, a Spanish interpreter at a non-profit health clinic, and a WIS blog contributor in Motion. She enjoys music, reading, dogs, and spending time with friends and family.