Objective:

To provide a phenomenological approach for a medical student elective in the neurohumanities based on firsthand experience designing and implementing such an elective.

Background:

While neurology is a field rooted in scientific rigor, it also inherently engages questions of meaning, perception, and personhood. Medical training, however, often leaves little room for such structured reflection. The neurohumanities--an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of neuroscience/medicine and lived experience--offers a framework to restore this reflective counterbalance. This project sought to explore how a neurohumanities elective could be feasibly incorporated into the fourth-year coursework of a medical student without adding significant curricular burden. 

Design/Methods:

A medical student collaborated with neurology faculty to design a self-guided elective comprising (1) a personalized reading and film syllabus focused on a specific topic of interest of the student's choosing (in this case, surrealism) and its value in understanding the brain and philosophy of self; (2) experiential enrichment through museum visits; (3) structured reflection via journaling and mentorship meetings longitudinally throughout the year and also during the allotted elective time; and (4) clinical integration through outpatient and inpatient neurology encounters involving patient interviews focused on the subjective experience of disease. A parallel resident–faculty neurohumanities discussion group was developed to sustain interdisciplinary engagement, and is situated in a larger network of neurohumanities nationwide.

Results:

The elective fostered synthesis between clinical and reflective learning, linking subjective experience with neurological mechanisms. Student reflection revealed enhanced appreciation for the patient perspective, re-engagement with personal motivations in medical training, and novel insights connecting art, philosophy, and neurological function. Faculty and resident participation indicated feasibility for broader curricular incorporation through flexible, mentorship-based design. A final reflection piece was completed as well.

Conclusions:

A student-led neurohumanities elective centered on reflection, clinical narrative, and the arts has potential to enrich neurology education by promoting empathy, curiosity, and meaning-making in clinical practice.