Granai embraces humanism

Dr. Cornelius “Skip” Granai III, director of the Program in Women’s Oncology at Women & Infants Hospital, was recently awarded the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award.

What steps do you take as a physician to provide humanist medical care?

It seems best to try to remain grounded by common sense, which can be helpfully framed by three questions repeatedly asked at every intersection: What would you want done for your loved one under those circumstances? What matters matter? Can we do more?

Of course everyone would want the best medical-science-technology as a central part of their loved one’s care, but is that all people would want or deserve in health care, the best “p-values” of science and statistics? Most surely not. They would also want the best “h-values” (human values), which are equally important in different, subtle but meaningful ways. As they are harder to quantify, they are often undervalued in our increasingly constrained world with its health care formulas.

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Can you speak on the efforts of the International Health Foundation?

The IHF started unexpectedly years ago at Women & Infants while we were caring for a very sick cancer patient from the Dominican Republic. The woman was elegant, gentle and wise and quietly suggested to us that we, as humans, no matter where we are from, have much in common, even though we may not know each other directly. Her inspiration and thoughtfulness made it possible for us to meet with doctors from the Dominican Republic and from there the IHF began.

We have been dedicated to mutual medical education/training intended to have important practical, real impact for better patient care.

The fellowship you direct is the first in the country to combine breast-cancer education and gynecologic oncology. Why is this an important connection to make?

Gynecologic oncologists, as medical subspecialists, come from the philosophic roots and educational background of obstetrics and gynecology, a realm where women are “understood” as entire beings. Adding breast cancer education as an integral part of the four-year post-residency fellowship curriculum of a gynecological oncologist seemed natural and beneficial. •

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