The Gold Humanism Honor Society is the heart of our Community of Caring. Founded in 2002, through the generous support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Berrie Foundation, and an anonymous donor, GHHS now has more than 160 chapters in medical schools and residency programs. More than 35,000 medical students, physicians, and other leaders have been inducted and serve as role models of the human connection in healthcare.
Contact our Staff:
National Initiatives
It’s time to start planning for your annual GHHS National Initiatives! Mark your calendar for these upcoming events:
Solidarity Week for Compassionate Patient Care – February 10-14, 2020
Solidarity Week for Compassionate Patient Care is a week-long recognition event. GHHS chapters, medical schools, and patient care institutions from across the country promote activities to celebrate their dedication to ensuring compassionate, patient-centered care.
Thank a Resident Day – February 28, 2020
Residency is a key component of graduate medical training, offering an in-depth exposure to medical practice. It can often lead to long working hours matched with many responsibilities. Residents serve as the “house staff” of the hospital and are an integral part to the healthcare team, often serving as indispensable resources for medical students, especially during a clinical clerkship. Join the Gold Humanism Honor Society in bringing to light the importance of the residence staff and encourage medical students at chapters throughout the nation to show our gratitude and appreciation on February 28, 2020!
Please visit us on our website and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.
Veterans Gold Health Initiative
The Veterans Gold Health Initiative began in 2018 as a Quality Improvement Project addresses healthcare disparities through the identification of veteran status and associated risk for unique employment-related illnesses.
If your chapter would like to share their 2019 plans or order stickers for the Veterans Gold Health Initiative, please click here.
International Chapter Pilot
Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is pleased to announce that three chapters from around the world have joined the over 160 existing GHHS chapters. These schools were chosen in 2019 as part of a three-year pilot project to expand GHHS internationally.
We are now beginning the rigorous pre-application phase of our search for THREE additional international chapters to be approved in 2020. The timeline is as follows, without exception.
- September 30, 2019 – Deadline for the complete GHHS pre-application documentation.
- October-November 2019 – Review of your GHHS pre-application documentation by Advisory Council.
- December 2019 – GHHS staff to notify pre-applicants. No more than 20 schools will be selected for advancement in the process.
- February 1, 2020 – Deadline for the full GHHS application.
- March 30, 2020 – Newest three International GHHS Chapters to be notified of their selection.
To learn more about this pilot, please click here.
To complete a pre-application, please click here.
Golden Glimmers:
Golden Glimmer Theme #4 was a call to restore joy in medicine! Members and friends of GHHS submitted Haiku to share how they were nurturing their own wellness, caring for themselves and their colleagues, celebrating moments of joy, or simply taking time to breathe! View the gallery here.
A designation of compassion
The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) recognizes students, residents and faculty who are exemplars of compassionate patient care and who serve as role models, mentors, and leaders in medicine. GHHS members are peer nominated and are the ones that others say they want taking care of their own family.
The Society currently has about 30,000 members in training and practice.
Spreading empathy
Membership in GHHS goes beyond selection and induction into an honor society. Its members have a responsibility to model, support, and advocate for compassionate, patient-centered care throughout their careers. The creation of a GHHS chapter signifies to the medical community that an institution places high value on the interpersonal skills and attitudes that are essential for the highest level of patient care.
“The state of healthcare is quite challenging out there. GHHS is a reminder that despite the obstacles, this is all about treating people and all about the patient care. GHHS and the Gold Foundation inoculates you against a lot of those obstacles and provides you with some strength to confront all of that.” — Dr. Scott Shaffer, Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University
Benefits of GHHS membership
With the support of the Gold Foundation and GHHS Supporters, GHHS funds educational events, supports research, promotes professional growth and creates opportunities for GHHS members to network with others who share their values and beliefs.
Benefits include:
- International recognition of humanistic achievement
- Special recognition on the ERAS residency application form
- Leadership development opportunities
- Chapter awards and grants
- Networking and mentoring connections
- Professional conferences, lectures, and workshops
- Resources to promote humanistic care in their community
History & early support
Inspiration for GHHS came from medical educators and residency program directors who expressed a need for a way to identify applicants to residency training programs who had outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Berrie Foundation, and an anonymous donor gave generously to launch GHHS. We are grateful for their crucial support.
Since its inception in 2002, GHHS has grown in influence to become a vital part of medical school and residency training program cultures throughout the US.
In 2012, we celebrated 10 years of GHHS:
In 2016, a GHHS identifier was placed on the Electronic Residency application making it clear that GHHS membership was something institutions advisors looked for in residency applicants. The power of GHHS lies in bringing together like-minded individuals to sustain their own humanism and to inspire and nurture humanism in others.
“It is hardest to practice the values of empathy and compassion when I am behind on my schedule, when multiple patients are waiting, and I feel pressure to rush. Physicians that do it best are the ones that are able to focus on each individual patient in the moment and temporarily forget the factors outside the room that discourage compassion.” – 4th year medical student and GHHS Member
With the support of the APGF and GHHS Supporters, GHHS funds educational events, supports research, promotes professional growth and creates opportunities for GHHS members to network with others who share their values and beliefs.