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Gold Humanism Honor Society: Home

Gold Humanism Honor Society

The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is a community of medical students, physicians, and other leaders who have been recognized for their compassionate care. GHHS reinforces and supports the human connection in healthcare, which is essential for the health of patients and clinicians.

Read more about the GHHS, their initiatives, and chapters here.

What is Humanism?

As defined by the Gold Foundation,

Humanism in healthcare is characterized by a respectful and compassionate relationship between physicians, as well as all other members of the healthcare team, and their patients. It reflects attitudes and behaviors that are sensitive to the values and the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of others.

These attributes are highlighted as essential to humanism in healthcare, which the Gold Foundation describes here:

  • Integrity: the congruence between expressed values and behavior
  • Excellence: clinical expertise
  • Collaboration & Compassion: the awareness and acknowledgement of the suffering of another and the desire to relieve it
  • Altruism: the capacity to put the needs and interests of another before your own
  • Respect & Resilience: the regard for the autonomy and values of another person
  • Empathy: the ability to put oneself in another’s situation, e.g., physician as patient
  • Service: the sharing of one’s talent, time and resources with those in need; giving beyond what is required.

Events and Activities

Solidarity Week for Compassionate Patient Care is a special week that takes place each year around Valentine’s Day to celebrate patients and clinicians and the special bond of trust and compassion that yields the best care. This year, Solidarity Week will be held February 12-16, 2024!

Click here to learn more about Solidarity Week events past and future.

A collaborative effort to host student-led presentations that connect cutting-edge research with experience from clinical practice, all while providing coffee, tea, and snacks in a comfortable environment to promote thoughtful discussion.

Join the upcoming event, Mental Health: Response to Stress and How We Heal, February 12, 2024.

Learn more or RSVP here.