Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest

Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest

The 2026 essay contest is open until March 16, 11:59 p.m. PT.

Read about eligibility requirements and then submit your essay.

Read the announcement about the 2026 expansion to psychology students.

The annual Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest asks medical, nursing, and graduate psychology students to engage in a reflective writing exercise that illustrates an experience where they or a healthcare team member (doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, pharmacists, patients and families, etc.) worked to ensure that humanism was at the core of care. Submissions that touch upon students’ personal experiences of humanistic care or stories of family and friends are also accepted.

First-, second-, and third-place essays are chosen by a panel including healthcare professionals, writers/journalists, and educators.

Winners receive monetary awards of $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively, and their essays are published in Academic Medicine, The Journal of Professional Nursing, and the Journal of Health Service Psychology. A total of nine winners are awarded, three in each category of students: medical, nursing, and graduate psychology students.

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Who was Dr. Hope Babette Tang?

The essay contest is named in memory of Hope Babette Tang, MD, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and the Pediatric Medical Director of the hospital’s HIV clinic until her death in 1998 at age 36. Dr. Tang’s patients were often facing numerous obstacles on top of their devastating medical challenges, which made healing even more difficult. Her mantra in caring for her patients was “Whatever it takes.” Her approach meant she saw the person in front of her, not just their medical situation. Many of her acts of caring only came to be known after her death. She treated the whole patient, a hallmark of humanistic care.

2026 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest Prompt

Using the following quote, reflect on an experience in any healthcare setting where you or another healthcare team member worked to put the person at the center of care:

“Face-to-face conversation is the most human—and humanizing—thing we do. Fully present to one another, we learn to listen. It’s where we develop the capacity for empathy. It’s where we experience the joy of being heard, of being understood.” — Sherry Turkle, PhD

Learn how to submit an essay: Eligibility, Selection Criteria, and Process.

2025 Medical Student Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest! Read the full announcement here.

Note: The first place winners will be published in the December issues of Academic Medicine and The Journal of Professional Nursing. The second and third place winning essays have been published this fall and are linked to below.

First Place | “The Severance of a Thread”
Nezienwa Ezenwa
University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine

 

 

Second Place | “No Estás Sola”
Maria Jose Gomez
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

 

 

Third Place | “Between Silence and Speech: The Power of Listening in Psychiatric Care”
Ziad Saade
Harvard Medical School

2025 Nursing Student Winners

First Place | “The Heart of Hope”
Roz Agheli
Loma Linda University School of Nursing

 

 

Second Place | “More Than a Stethoscope”
Christine Dianne Mendoza Nepomuceno
California State University, Sacramento, School of Nursing

 

 

Third Place | “Listening Beyond the Monitors: A Lesson from Joe”
Vonnie Parramore-Cesar
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University

 

 

Read the full announcement of the 2025 winners.

Hear past essay winners read and share about their essay through the Gold Connection Podcast

Jessica Pierce, who won first place for nursing students students in the 2022 contest, reads her winning essay, "As the Sun Sets." The reading is followed by a conversation with Jessica and Gold Foundation Editor in Chief Brianne Alcala, exploring the writing process. Jessica is pursuing her doctoral degree in Nurse Anesthesia at Oregon Health & Science University. Listen here
Square image with Molly Fessler's headshot and the words On Writing "Every Patient After" Molly Fessler, who won second place for medical students in the 2022 contest, reads her winning essay, “Every Patient After.” That reading is followed by a conversation with Molly and Gold Foundation Editor in Chief Brianne Alcala, exploring the writing process. Molly is a fourth-year student at the University of Michigan Medical School. Listen here
Mason Blacker, a medical student at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, won first place for medical students in the 2022 contest. In this podcast episode, he reads his winning essay, “The Light.” The reading is followed by a conversation with Mason and Gold Foundation Editor in Chief Brianne Alcala, exploring the writing process. Listen here

 

For more information about the Gold Foundation programs or their status, please contact VP, Programs, Louisa Tvito at ltvito@gold-foundation.org.