The expansion reflects the Gold Foundation’s emphasis on the importance of interprofessional collaboration and humanistic care across all roles and healthcare fields
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is delighted to announce that the Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest will now be open to graduate psychology students, who will join medical and nursing students in this annual opportunity to reflect on the human connection in healthcare.
“By expanding this essay contest to include psychology students, we’re strengthening the foundation of humanistic care across disciplines,” said Louisa Tvito, MSW, Vice President of Programs at the Gold Foundation. “Psychologists are trained to see the inner world of a patient and be ‘meaning makers’ — clinicians who show up with presence, curiosity, and attunement. Their addition enriches the conversation and broadens our community of healthcare professionals committed to kind, safe, trustworthy care.”
The first-place essay winner will receive $1,000; the second-place winner will receive $500; and the third-place winner will receive $250.
The three winning essays by graduate psychology students will be published in the Journal of Health Service Psychology, the quarterly journal of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. The National Register, an independent nonprofit, is the largest credentialing organization for psychologists and psychology doctoral students.
“We’re proud to partner with the Gold Foundation and the American Psychological Foundation to elevate the voices of future psychologists whose reflections deepen our shared commitment to empathy, connection, and trust in healthcare,” said National Register CEO Andrew Boucher.
The American Psychological Foundation (APF), a nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to advancing psychological knowledge, will be providing support in sharing this opportunity with its network to reach psychology graduate students.
”Psychology moves people, and people move the world,” said APF CEO Michelle Quist Ryder, PhD. “This expansion recognizes the integral role psychology plays in building a healthier society.”
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.
About The Arnold P. Gold Foundation
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is the leading national nonprofit that champions humanism in healthcare. Founded in 1988, the Gold Foundation’s vision is that healthcare will be dramatically improved by placing the interests, values and dignity of all people at the core of teaching and practice. The Gold Foundation is the home of the White Coat Ceremony, the Gold Humanism Honor Society, Tell Me More® communication tool, and many other programs and resources.
