The Student, the Patient and the Illness

The essays for the Ascona Balint Award give a deep impression of the students’ experiences, reflections and conclusions. And they show an insight into medical education in different countries.

“Miss Molly taught me how to manage my emotions not to be overwhelmed, nor distant from the patient’s reality. […] I guess the hardest part is to remember it in our daily life as physicians, and medical students, careful not to see a patient as another number and, this enchanting profession, as business.“
Joao Brainer

“What I see and know of the people I care for is only a small part of who they are. Respect for a person’s selfhood and integrity means that I cannot, and should not try, to control their lives.”
Leah Ginnivan

“Caring for patients and their families can be fraught with pitfalls and challenges, but investing our time to understand the patient’s behind the disease can be immensely meaningful and rewarding in return. […] As we summed up what we collectively learned, there was unanimous agreement that there is always room for empathy, even when avenues of treatment are exhausted, for our patients, their families, and each other.”
Kevin Teo


With contributions by Joao Paulo Mertens Brainer, Leah Ginnivan, Attiya Harit, Patrick Maclean, Katherine O’Shea, Alina Gundela Saymé, Peter Shoenberg, Maria Tennyson, Kevin Teo and Martina Torppa