Moral Imagination in Medicine | Lydia Dugdale, MD

Moral imagination is the ability to transcend one's own immediate context and experiences to explore diverse moral perspectives and ethical scenarios. In medicine, where decisions can reverberate profoundly through a patient’s life, moral imagination allows us to navigate the ethical complexities of particular situations while honoring the dignity of others. But how can this capacity be developed? Can we actually teach moral imagination to clinicians? In this episode, we are joined by Lydia Dugdale, MD, director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at Columbia University, who has deeply explored these issues through her writings and research. She is the author of multiple books, most recently The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom, (2020). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Dugdale shares her efforts to nurture moral imagination in her students, the importance of acknowledging suffering not just between clinicians and patients, but also among clinicians themselves, what sustains her through the most challenging or mundane moments in medicine, and more.In this episode, we discuss:2:31 - Dr. Dugdale’s calling to medicine5:06 - How Dr. Dugdale became interested in clinical ethics8:49 - Why it’s difficult to engage the spiritual side of medicine16:18 - The importance of cultivating imagination, especially for physicians21:44 - The place that higher education has (or doesn’t have) in shaping the “souls” of students 27:25 - The importance of creating space to reflect on the patient connection36:14 - Dr. Dugdale’s advice for trainees and clinician on how they can better approach addressing suffering with patients In this episode, we discussed Alan Deresiewicz book “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life” (excerpt from which is published in The New Republic) as well as Steven Pinker’s response essay The Trouble with Harvard.Dr. Dugdale is the author of The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected] The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2023