Rutgers Medical Students Learn Importance of Humanity, Creativity and Connection in Patient-Centered Medicine

When first-year medical students in New Brunswick and Newark started their academic journey this year, they were asked to put their textbooks and stethoscopes aside and instead mirror a classmate's movements, understand the meaning behind a patient's symptom complaint and explain an iPhone to someone transported from the 1800s to high-tech 2025.

For Jake Gluckman, a second-year student at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) with a background in acting and music, the exercises felt familiar to him and beneficial for future physicians.

"Improv taught me how to listen deeply, not just hear words," he said. "That's exactly why patients need a doctor who pays attention to what they mean, not just what they say. Patients don't just want a cerebral doctor; they want someone relatable who listens."

David Beckford, a fourth-year student at New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), shared the same passion, drawing on his own theater and dance background to help lead his classmates in similar improvisation activities.

"Medicine isn't just about knowledge, it's about vulnerability and connection," Beckford said. "Patients come to us in moments of fear and uncertainty. How we listen and respond makes all the difference."

Both said for many first-year students the gathering was an eye-opening introduction. Some described it as liberating, others as disarming, and many said it reminded them why they chose medicine in the first place. The laughter, music, and shared vulnerability at both campuses left students with the message that the next four years would not only be about studying for exams but also about the listening and communication skills that would make them even better doctors.

Called Patient-Centered Medicine and Health Equity, the introductory seminar brought together all 340 incoming students from RWJMS and NJMS for the first time. Rutgers University is in the process of integrating its two medical schools into a single, accredited medical school. This transformation represents a defining moment for the university and for medical education in New Jersey. Faculty are bringing together the best of each other's curricular elements. Although separated on campuses in New Brunswick and Newark, students participated in synchronized sessions, exchanging heart emojis across screens as a gesture of solidarity.

"It was powerful for students to realize they're part of one Rutgers community from day one," said Amy P. Murtha, dean of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Co-designed by Carol A. Terregino, senior associate dean for education and academic affairs at RWJMS, and Manasa Ayyala, director of The Healthcare Foundation of NJ Center for Humanism and Medicine at NJMS, the course used music, theater, and visual art to encourage discussions about empathy, compassion, and health equity.

"The first week of classes was an opportunity to bring the two schools' passionate, creative faculty and their incoming first-year medical students together to learn about humanism and compassion through art, music, and improvisation," Terregino said.

The week's activities included live performances by the New Jersey Medical School Jazz Band with contributions from students Nishay Bhatnagar, Benjamin Dottinger, and Arman Sawhney, as well as sessions led by student performers and facilitators.

Gluckman and Terregino in New Brunswick and Beckford and Rachel Rosenberg, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, in Newark, guided students through creative exercises they said build trust, communication skills, and reassurances that they do not need to have all the answers.

"The exercises may look playful, but they train critical habits for medicine," Gluckman said. "Active listening, adaptability, and presence. These are the skills that make patients feel heard."

What made the seminar unique is that Beckford and Gluckman worked closely with faculty to design the sessions and were not just participants.

"This course helps lay a foundation for what some call 'soft skills,' but I see them as very concrete," Beckford said. "Empathy, listening and presence, those are just as essential to patient care as medical knowledge."

Their peers agreed. Several first-year students said the activities helped them connect with classmates on a deeper level, ease first-day nerves, and remember the human reasons they chose medicine.

Faculty said the launch of the course symbolizes the integration of Rutgers' two medical schools and a shared commitment to training physicians who are not just skilled but also compassionate.

"During the Patient-Centered Medicine and Health Equity course, I had the privilege of observing the session on improv," said Christin Traba, associate dean for education at NJMS. "I was blown away by the level of engagement at both campuses and the feeling of belonging within the larger Rutgers system. You could truly feel the enthusiasm and energy across the campuses."

As artificial intelligence and technology become intertwined into health care, both students and faculty insist that human connection cannot be replaced.

"There's never going to be a patient who says, 'I'd rather ChatGPT be my doctor,'" Gluckman said. "Medicine will always require a human presence. Patients want to feel seen, heard, and cared for."

By focusing on creativity and empathy, medical school faculty say first-year students are learning that becoming a physician means understanding that every patient has an individual story when they come to them looking for a diagnosis.

"This is how we begin medical education at Rutgers," said Terregino. "By reminding students that compassion, listening, and human connection are as critical to healing as any diagnosis or treatment."