Narrative Medicine as Social Justice: A Speaker Series

Metaphor as Medicine

Thursday, February 23

6-7:30 pm EST

via Zoom

Registration required  »

Medicine requires us to be interpreters of our jargon, translating medical language into understandable terms to allow patients to make informed decisions and remain at the center of their care.



This hybrid lecture-workshop will take participants through the theory and process of employing “Metaphor as Medicine” to connect with patients no matter their education level or background. Using this Narrative Medicine-based concept in clinical practice helps clinicians provide accessible care and actualize social justice every day for every patient, no matter their identities or healthcare literacy. Come learn about “Metaphor as Medicine” and leave with concrete skills to elevate your communication skills with diverse patients!



A recording of this talk will be made available to anyone who registers for the event.

presented by:

Maya J. Sorini is a narrative medicine scholar, writer, medical student, and award winning poet with a background in trauma surgery research. Maya holds a master's degree from and has taught in Columbia University's Narrative Medicine Program, and continues to work as a freelance narrative medicine workshop facilitator. She gives talks on compassionate medical education, trauma informed care, and poetry’s use in clinical medicine. Her first poetry collection, The Boneheap in the Lion's Den, won the 2023 Press 53 Award for poetry and is available now for preorder.

Narrative Medicine is a discipline dedicated to enriching clinical practice through the study of the arts, humanities, and social sciences – including, but not limited to, literary studies, visual art, creative writing, philosophy, qualitative research, and disability studies – and the exploration how these fields can mirror and inform the clinical encounter.



Social Justice is a major pillar of narrative medicine, and one that continues to emerge as a priority in our work. Narrative Medicine at UK is a group of students, trainees, faculty, and staff from across the University of Kentucky  and UK Healthcare hospital system who gather twice a month to engage with narrative medicine theory and practice.



For more information, contact Margaux Danby, MS (meda241@uky.edu).