From the Chair

Kamna Balhara, MD, MA, FACEP

I am so excited for all the wonderful work the members of this section have been undertaking in service of their patients, colleagues, and the ACEP community – and for advocating for the arts and humanities in their personal and professional spheres. Our consensus group, for instance, has made significant progress towards our paper advocating for arts and humanities in emergency medicine, and we look forward to sharing our findings across the section soon.

As 2025 approaches, I, like many of us, have been thinking a lot about finding cohesion and common ground in an increasingly polarized world. There is an urgent need for civil discourse and dialogue across differences in health care, and in society at large – and this is exactly the kind of conversation that the arts and humanities can nurture. We know from existing evidence amongst medical students and residents that engagement with the arts and humanities can nurture critical thinking, openness to diverse perspectives, tolerance of ambiguity, and respectful discourse around varying opinions - at this moment, our specialty, and medicine at large, need the humanities more than ever to truly embody successful collaborative practice, supportive and inclusive clinical and learning environments, and equitable care for our patients. Thank you to each of you for your contributions to the arts and humanities in emergency medicine, and your sustained engagement with this section. As we embark on a new year, I look forward to continuing to learn from each of you, to continuing to be awed by your creativity and talent, and to continuing to explore and sustain the arts and humanities in emergency medicine.