Gold Humanism Honor Society

Year 1 – Tell Me More About Your Community: Partnerships in Humanism

Learn More About Year 1 – Community Discovery

This page provides an in-depth look at Year 1 (2025–2026) of the multi-year initiative encouraging GHHS chapters to gather meaningful, real-world insights from the communities they serve.

To explore the full vision and future goals of Tell Me More About Your Community: Partnerships in Humanism, click here.

What is Community Discovery?

Community Discovery is the first and most foundational phase of the Tell Me More About Your Community: Partnerships in Humanism initiative. This year, GHHS chapters are asked to go beyond general assumptions and take an active role in learning who their community truly is—its people, cultures, and values.

  • Understanding and identifying population demographics (race, ethnicity, gender, age, language, etc.)
  • Identifying cultural and religious traditions
  • Exploring environmental and economic realities

View the Community Discovery Form

How to Approach Community Discovery?

To ensure your responses are grounded in real-world insights—not assumptions—we encourage you to use a combination of engagement-based methods and reliable data sources:

Engagement-Based Approaches:

  • Host town halls or listening sessions led by your chapter
  • Conduct conversations with patients, healthcare providers, educators, faith leaders, or community organizers
  • Distribute surveys or interviews in clinical settings, community spaces, or via digital platforms

Data & Literature Sources:

  • Access U.S. Census data or local health department statistics
  • Review Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) published by hospitals or nonprofit organizations
  • Explore public health dashboards available at state or county levels

Note: It’s important to complete the community discovery based on real insights gathered from your community—not assumptions. Take time to engage directly with patients, healthcare providers, community leaders, and others through conversations, surveys, or meetings. Use what you learn from these interactions to thoughtfully answer the community discovery form. Your responses should reflect the actual needs and priorities of your community, grounded in evidence—not perception.

Submit your Community Discovery Form

Share Your Data | Portrait of Our Community

Some GHHS chapters may already have community discovery data from earlier in medical school. If so, we encourage you (as well as recent participants) to submit your findings through the Portrait of Our Community Form—a creative capstone that invites chapters to artistically represent key insights gathered during their discovery process.

This is your opportunity to move beyond statistics and tell the story of your community in a meaningful, humanistic way.

Goals:

  • Reflect the diversity, identity, and values of your local community
  • Highlight your chapter’s learning journey and growing connection with the people you serve

Creative Formats May Include:

  • Photo collage or digital mural featuring community members or local landmarks
  • Infographic or data visualization summarizing key findings
  • Short video (2–3 minutes) with interviews or chapter reflections
  • Story map blending text, data, and visuals
  • Artwork, poetry, or creative writing inspired by lived experiences, traditions, or conversations

Opportunities for Recognition:

  • Be featured at the next Gold Humanism Summit and other national events
  • Gain visibility in the Gold Connection newsletter, shared with thousands of students, educators, and healthcare leaders

In addition, explore a creative submission option for the chance to be featured at next year’s Gold Humanism Summit and in our quarterly Gold Connection newsletter.

Submit your Portrait of Our Community Form

Final Thought

Community Discovery is not a one-time task—it’s an ongoing commitment to listening, learning, and engaging with humility. Year 1 sets the stage for all future years of the initiative. What you uncover now will shape how your chapter builds trust, designs programs, and partners with others in the years to come.