Gold Humanism Honor Society inducts new members

UNMC inducted its seventh class of Gold Humanism Honor Society members in February as 19 third-year medical students, six residents and four members of the faculty were recognized.

The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) was established in 2002 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which was established by Drs. Arnold and Sandra Gold at Columbia University. One-hundred-and-sixty medical schools and residency programs across the nation have a GHHS, with over 35,000 members in training and practice. The chapter at UNMC was established in the fall of 2014.

Since 1988, the Gold Foundation has partnered with medical schools and teaching hospitals to infuse humanism into medical training. The honor society is one more way the foundation is working to achieve this goal. According to the organization’s website, “The power of the society lies in bringing together like-minded individuals to sustain their own humanism and to inspire and nurture humanism in others.”

Medical school chapters may induct up to:

• 10 to 15 percent of the third-year medical student class;
• Up to four faculty members selected by the GHHS students, residents and faculty; and
• Six residents selected by the GHHS students, residents and faculty.

Inductees are selected through a vetted peer- and faculty-nomination process, said Charity Evans, MD, associate professor of surgery and co-advisor for the honor society.

Anna Gorman, DO, resident in the UNMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Jill Zabih, MD, assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, both GHHS members, spoke at this year’s event.

The GHHS website states that “membership goes beyond selection and induction into an honor society, as GHHS members have a responsibility to model, support and advocate from compassionate, patient-centered care throughout their careers.”

Dr. Evans said that this year’s inductees were selected to do just that.

“The GHHS chapter at UNMC has grown substantially since its inception in 2014,” Dr. Evans said. “This group of phenomenal medical students, residents and faculty represent compassionate and patient-centered care at UNMC, and have used this role to integrate the ideals of GHHS across the UNMC campus through programs such as Sunday Rounds, the Tell Me More campaign, Resiliency dinners, writing club, Thank A Resident Day and the White Coat Ceremony. This year’s GHHS induction looked a little different than year’s prior, but so thankful we were able to include the inductee’s family and friends and the UNMC community via Zoom. We are so proud of what this group has accomplished, and look forward to another year.”