"The purpose of life is ... to be compassionate, to have it make some difference ..."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Instituted in 1995, Empathy Sessions were developed in response to an observation by a group of faculty that medical students seemed more compassionate than their physician peers. It appeared that the prolonged training period of a physician, with its emphasis on scientific knowledge, stamina, and independence contributed in a negative way to the “hidden curriculum” and resulted in a dispassionate, less caring physician. In an attempt to reverse this tendency, we created a voluntary small group experience called Empathy 101. As students progressed through the curriculum, they requested that the sessions be continued, and Empathy 201, 301, and 401 were added in 1999.