Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest

Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest

The annual Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest asks medical and nursing 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 for both nursing and medical students are chosen by a panel including healthcare professionals, writers/journalists, and educators.

Winners receive monetary awards of $1000, $500 and $250, respectively, and their essays are published in Academic Medicine and The Journal of Professional Nursing in the fall.

For details, visit Eligibility, Selection Criteria, and Process.

The 2023 essay contest is now closed and we are no longer accepting submissions. Essays are under review and we expect to conclude the selection process by the end of May.

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Hear 2022 Essay Winners read and share about their essay through the 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

2023 Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest Prompt

“I want to give you something, or I want to take something from you. But I want to feel the exchange, the warm hand on the shoulder, the song coming out and the ear holding onto it.”

-Ada Limón, U.S. Poet Laureate, from the poem “How Far Away We Are”

Who was Dr. Hope Babette Tang?

Hope Babette Tang-Goodwin, MD was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, whose devotion and generosity to the care of the children and infants with HIV infection in New York City was an inspiration to her colleagues and her students. Her approach to medicine combined a boundless enthusiasm for her work, intellectual rigor and deep compassion for her patients. In sum, Dr. Tang-Goodwin was an exemplar of excellent, compassionate and respectful patient care.

2022 Medical Student Winners

First Place | “The Light”
Mason Blacker
NYU Grossman School of Medicine

 

 

Second Place | “Every Patient After”
Molly Fessler
University of Michigan Medical School

 

 

Third Place | “To Tend to a Life Story”
Nali Gillespie
Duke University School of Medicine

2022 Nursing Student Winners


First Place | “As the Sun Sets”
Jessica Pierce
Oregon Health & Science University

 

 

Second Place | “A Song for the Dying”
Victoria Furka
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing

 

 

Third Place | “She Served Him Well”
Danielle Blackwell
Frontier Nursing University

 

 

Read the full announcement of the 2022 winners.

Contact Michelle Sloane at msloane@gold-foundation.org with questions. For more information about the Gold Foundation programs or their status, please contact Director of Program Initiatives Louisa Tvito at ltvito@gold-foundation.org.