This year, KMMS held the PDPCP2 conference which was planned by a collaborative team of students, professional services, and academic staff, focusing on an inclusive theme: 'Caring with Compassion in an Increasingly Polarised World.'
Credit for the title goes to Dr Sarah Johns, Lecturer in Medical Education and Evolutionary Anthropologist at KMMS, who was instrumental in securing both the keynote speaker, Dr Mikey Biddlestone, and a workshop presenter, Dr Louis Bachaud, from the University of Kent. Contributors came from nearby institutions University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, as well as further afield in Lille, France. Please view the programme here.
The day began with a welcome from Dr Anna Romito, Deputy Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at KMMS, followed by a keynote address from Professor Alison Scott-Baumann, Professor of Society and Belief from SOAS. She opened her talk with a powerful quotation from George Orwell’s 1984, asserting that the polarisation of our world is controlling our language and thought, similar to how Newspeak is represented in the novel. Dr Mikey Biddlestone then expanded on this theme in his keynote presentation, which explored the genesis, maintenance, and impact of conspiracy theories. After a break, participants engaged in the first round of workshops before lunch. The afternoon commenced with the final keynote of the day, an engaging presentation on compassion through mindfulness delivered by Lorraine Millard and Dr Brenda Osieyo, followed by the second round of workshops. The day concluded with a well-attended and lively plenary session.
An innovative feature of the conference this year was the introduction of stalls staffed by charitable organisations that regularly partner with KMMS to deliver the curriculum. Organisations such as L’Arche Kent, East Kent Mencap and Kent Autistic Trust were present (with L’Arche bringing some of its beneficiaries), and engaged with students and staff about their services and products. Informal feedback from the stallholders indicated that found their participation to be a valuable use of their time.
Ms Cathy Bernal, KMMS Lead for PDPCP2 and conference chair said, “It seems clear that this annual conference, now in its fourth year, is contributing significantly to student learning and engagement in subjects seemingly tangential to medical education – but actually so pertinent to the KMMS values.”
Student feedback collected on the day via a survey was overwhelmingly positive, particularly praising the keynote addresses focused on compassion and mindfulness. Enthusiasm for the workshops was also evident amongst attendees. Student comments included:
“Compassionate care led by Lorraine and Dr Osieyo – the reason being compassionate care is the most important aspect of our care, and I found her GP stories so encouraging and engaging – please invite her back!”
“The one on conspiracy theories. It’s on a topic I know little about, and I really appreciated all the psychology research behind it. Very interesting. The Mindfulness lecture is a close second for me!”
“I really enjoyed the day.”
An NHS colleague and workshop presenter said, “I thoroughly enjoy trying to arm the next generation of doctors with the tools needed to make them more rounded professionals than those of my own generation.”
Professor Dr Alison Scott-Baumann commented on the event, “A high calibre day with strong plenary speakers and a very important selection of topics, balancing between the need for compassion to patients and colleagues, and the need to be compassionate to oneself. Interspersed between the plenaries were workshops, and the workshop format worked very well.”