While the arts and sciences might sometimes be viewed as opposite ends of a spectrum,

students and faculty at Harvard Medical School are embracing a convergence between these
fields and seeing the benefits of artistic practice in their medical careers.

Several music groups on the HMS campus offer students and other members of the
Longwood medical community an artistic outlet outside of their medical training or
practices. The HMS Chamber Music Society, made up of more than 30 students, provides
an opportunity for student musicians to connect and form ensembles.

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“Playing music serves as a creative outlet that allows me to disengage from medicine and to
relax. Given that creating music relies on collaboration between individuals, I find that it is
also a wonderful way to meet new friends and to connect based on our shared art,” said
HMS student Enchi Chang, the current head of the Chamber Music Society.

Chang, a first-year student at HMS, plays violin in the Longwood Symphony Orchestra,

which has brought medical professionals together to play music and benefited nonprofits for
more than three decades.

Inspired by the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, HMS students Pamela Chen and Abra
Shen decided to create an equivalent for singers. This fall they formed the Longwood
Chorus, which is currently made up of 16 vocalists from HMS and the Longwood medical
community.

“I knew that medical school would definitely be one of the largest challenges and stressors I
have undertaken to date, and that, even if I felt like I had less time to do so, I would still
need this creative and emotional outlet for my own mental health,” said Chen, who is in her
second year at HMS.

“The art of music relies entirely on listening for the story and emotions in each piece, which
is similar to how a physician listens for a patient's narrative and emotions.”

For many of those participating, the practice of music not only offers a way to de-stress but
also provides further insight into the medical field.

“To me, the parallels between music, especially ensemble music, and the practice of
medicine, are endless. Both require a foundational level of skill, built up over years of
dedicated practice. But on top of that technical expertise, there is another layer of artistic
interpretation,” said Chen. “Ultimately, both music and medicine are messy and ever-
changing and human, and both can bring people together to heal.”

Some of the musicians have even found their artistic practice translates into better doctor-
patient relationships. 

“In the arts and as a clinician, the intangibles are really important. You have to be
completely present to what’s going on, otherwise you’re going to miss cues, misdiagnose or
not respond appropriately to a patient's discomfort,” said Isaac Chua, HMS instructor in
medicine and a palliative care doctor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a member of the
Longwood Chorus.

“Another parallel is in the art of listening and communicating without words,” said Chang.
“The art of music relies entirely on listening for the story and emotions in each piece, which
is similar to how a physician listens for a patient's narrative and emotions.”
Shen, co-founder and executive director of the Longwood Chorus and a second-year student
at HMS, finds that artistic practice can simply provide a space to reflect. 

“I remember the first time I cried after meeting a patient with pancreatic cancer. He felt
hopeless, and I felt helpless. All I could do was write a poem. That act of reflection really
helped me process not only what I was feeling but also helped me better perceive his
perspective,” said Shen. “Taking moments to reflect and write, sing, paint, dance, perform—
or any other artistic engagement—is immensely helpful in understanding ourselves and
patients better.”

These parallels between the arts and medicine inspired the formation of the Arts and
Humanities Initiative at HMS. Created just over three years ago, the initiative aims to better
integrate the arts and humanities into the HMS community.

“The mission of the Arts and Humanities initiative is to promote and continue artistic
practice that students come in doing, and to underscore that the integration of arts and
humanities and medicine is a natural thing,” said Lisa Wong, co-director of the initiative and
HMS assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital.  

Wong, who served as president of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra for more than 20
years, experienced firsthand the impact music can have on medical professionals.

“I discovered that there were all these wonderful people who were doing other art forms in
medicine. We realized that it was all for the same reason, because it made us better doctors,”
said Wong. “It gave us an outlet, but it also gave us an insight. We could hear our patients
better and we could collaborate better. All those things that you want in a doctor, came
through our training in the arts.”

The HMS Arts and Humanities Initiative supports the Chamber Music Society and
Longwood Chorus by providing funding opportunities, assisting in event planning and
inviting guest lecturers to the HMS campus.

The Longwood Chorus will be holding auditions in mid-January and welcomes any
singers affiliated with the health care or scientific research communities. They also have
an upcoming winter concert series on Dec.  12 and 13. 

medicine. We realized that it was all for the same reason, because it made us better doctors,”
said Wong. “It gave us an outlet, but it also gave us an insight. We could hear our patients
better and we could collaborate better. All those things that you want in a doctor, came
through our training in the arts.”

The HMS Arts and Humanities Initiative supports the Chamber Music Society and
Longwood Chorus by providing funding opportunities, assisting in event planning and
inviting guest lecturers to the HMS campus.

The Longwood Chorus will be holding auditions in mid-January and welcomes any
singers affiliated with the health care or scientific research communities. They also have
an upcoming winter concert series on Dec.  12 and 13. 

medicine. We realized that it was all for the same reason, because it made us better doctors,”
said Wong. “It gave us an outlet, but it also gave us an insight. We could hear our patients
better and we could collaborate better. All those things that you want in a doctor, came
through our training in the arts.”
The HMS Arts and Humanities Initiative supports the Chamber Music Society and
Longwood Chorus by providing funding opportunities, assisting in event planning and
inviting guest lecturers to the HMS campus.

The Longwood Chorus will be holding auditions in mid-January and welcomes any
singers affiliated with the health care or scientific research communities. They also have
an upcoming winter concert series on Dec.  12 and 13. 

medicine. We realized that it was all for the same reason, because it made us better doctors,”
said Wong. “It gave us an outlet, but it also gave us an insight. We could hear our patients
better and we could collaborate better. All those things that you want in a doctor, came
through our training in the arts.”

The HMS Arts and Humanities Initiative supports the Chamber Music Society and
Longwood Chorus by providing funding opportunities, assisting in event planning and
inviting guest lecturers to the HMS campus.

The Longwood Chorus will be holding auditions in mid-January and welcomes any
singers affiliated with the health care or scientific research communities. They also have
an upcoming winter concert series on Dec.  12 and 13.