"Compassion and the Art of Medicine" Series
Aug. 10 through Sept. 24

The effect of AIDS on Third World children is the subject of the first Matthew Carter Memorial Lecture, one in a series of four presentations that comprise Baylor College of Medicine's annual "Compassion and the Art of Medicine" lecture series. The Matthew Carter Memorial Lecture was established in memory of the first-year Baylor medical student killed last September.

"We are hoping that through this lecture, Matthew's ideas of compassion and service live on," said Alfred Llave, a second-year medical student and coordinator of the student committee that helped organize the event.

"Compassion and the Art of Medicine," scheduled this year on Fridays from Aug. 10 through Sept. 14, is an annual series of lectures for medical students and the public. Presenters are selected based on work that reflects the importance of compassion in the field of medicine.

"Medical students come to Baylor with a strong desire to help patients who are sick and suffering," said Dr. Warren Holleman, director of the series and an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor. "Yet with all the hard work that they do in medical school, sometimes they can lose track of the reason they came here in the first place. The purpose of this lecture series is to encourage them to maintain the spirit of compassion that brought them to a healing profession, even as they are going through a stressful training process."

Lectures included in this year's "Compassion and the Art of Medicine" series include:

Aug. 10, Friday: Poet B.F. Maiz will discuss the poetry of love, hope, grief and healing.

Aug. 17, Friday: Family physician Dr. Patti Wetzel will reflect on her experiences as a physician and a patient and on the risks inherent in the medical profession. Dr. Wetzel was infected with HIV through an accidental needle stick.

Aug. 24, Friday: Matthew Carter Memorial Lecture, Dr. Mark Kline, director of Baylor's International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, and Smiley Pool, a Houston Chronicle photographer, will share their experiences working with HIV-infected infants and children in Africa and Romania.

Sept. 14, Friday: The Radio Music Theatre comedy team will provide students a much-needed break from the seriousness of studying.

Presentations begin at noon, followed by a question-and-answer session at 1 p.m. All sessions will be held in the McMillian Auditorium at Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Michael E. DeBakey Building, One Baylor Plaza. Parking is available in Garage 4, adjacent to the Margaret M.and Albert B. Alkek Building.

Admission is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Reservations are not required. Free brown-bag lunches will be available to the first 200 attendees.

Baylor's Department of Family and Community Medicine presents the series with a grant from The Community Hospital Foundation Inc. and sponsorship from the Warwick Hotel and Southwest Airlines. For more information, contact Christine Sargus at (713) 798-7751.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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