The Empathy Project
Doctors are good at talking to patients about their symptoms and diseases, but often don't have time to really learn who their patients are as people. People with ups and downs and interesting life events. Part of the joy of any healthcare worker's job can be to take the time to learn about their patients.
I decided that at the end of a patient's office visit I would ask them if I could photograph and interview them in order to hear their 'story'. What you see and hear below is the result of those few minutes at the end of their visit. It didn't take much time, and there was so much to be learned!
Why did I call this The Empathy Project? Empathy is defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, with the desire to help" - so it seemed like the perfect description of what I had in mind.
Hear the NPR interview with Howard Grill about The Empathy project.
Read the Gold Foundation review of The Empathy Project.
Read the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article about The Empathy Project.
See photos of the installation and opening.