In this Mindworks in Conversation, family physician Dr. Andre Lijoi and Johns Hopkins chaplain and medical journalist Elizabeth Tracey explore an enduring question in medicine: Is empathy something we’re born with - or something clinicians must intentionally cultivate?

In this episode of Mindworks in Conversation, psychiatrist, poet, and USC Narrative Medicine faculty member Jonathan Chou shares how writing his award-winning poetry collection Resemblance helped him explore identity, diaspora, and the emotional complexities of history and memory.

Discover how narrative practice, medical humanities, and ethical storytelling shape Amanda Caleb’s work - bridging history, healthcare, and human connection - in this insightful Mindworks in Conversation episode.

Discover how narrative practice gave new life to Rita Basuray’s lifelong passion for visual art. 

 Discover how narrative practice and poetry help Maya Sorini, MD, navigate pain, memory, and the moral complexity of medicine in this powerful Mindworks in Conversation episode.

Marissa Spear brings a tapestry of experiences to narrative practice—she’s a writer with a disability historian, YA author, program evaluator, and former dancer from Northwest Arkansas. Her journey has been shaped by personal illness, political inquiry, academic research, a deep embodied commitment to health justice, cultural storytelling, and the radical possibilities of narrative.