Building Beloved Community Through Practices of Belonging in Times of Social Disintegration;
Or, How We Stick Together in Order to Live to Fight Another Day

Written by Jeff Koetje, MD, Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Programming Strategist

Just this week, a meme showed up in my Instagram feed that I immediately recognized was conveying a powerful and deeply relevant message. Embedded in a block-print styled graphic of two flowerheads –�� daisies, most likely – were the words of the Welsh socialist writer, Leftist theorist, and cultural critic, Raymond Williams,��

“To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.”��

This quote, to be honest, hit me where it hurts: that place in me where judgment, disgust, cynicism, and yes, despair – my attitudinal reactions to how I perceive the state of the world these days – keep popping up, like ugly and aggressive weeds that could easily overtake the bright bobbing heads of any daisy.��

There’s a lot in the background of my life that primes me for reactions of judgment, disgust, cynicism and despair when I look out at the world as it currently is. Not the least of which is that I grew up in a particular “flavor” of Protestant Christianity (Calvinism – look it up, if you dare!) that really, really, really heavily emphasized “total depravity” as the perpetual state of human beings, the perpetual condition of humanity. (The term, “total depravity” is a theological term, but it also has anthropological implications that easily slip past and beyond the bounds of its theological meaning: when the only thing you ever hear about humans is our supposed “total depravity,” it really shapes how you see other people.) This theology that I grew up in and grew up around also asserted that humans could never ever ever save themselves – save ourselves – from this condition of total depravity which afflicts every human alive, past, present, and future. Salvation became a matter of importance almost solely in relation to the everlasting condition of one’s soul (i.e., saved, or damned), and had almost nothing to do with improving the material conditions of people’s lives, while they are…you know…actually alive.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I want to honestly acknowledge that we – all of us – find ourselves living in a moment of time when some of the worst impulses of humanity – hoarding and abusing power; dominating and controlling people; devaluing, dehumanizing, and even genociding people – are showing up, aggressively and without apology – like ugly weeds – in our politics, our policies, and in our collective body (our cultural soma, our society). And I want to honestly acknowledge that I’ve heard plenty of folks, myself included, say in response to all this ugliness, things like, “F*ck it. What is the point?” Judgment. Disgust. Cynicism. So many weeds choking out the daisies.��

I’m no longer a Calvinist, and I no longer believe in a theological proposition that damns humanity on the basis of a so-called “total depravity.” And I no longer seek eternal salvation in a heaven that certainly doesn’t exist in the way that it was told to me; instead I seek, in this lifetime, to save myself from the despair of the human ego (talk about a devil if there ever was one!), by practicing the practices of belonging with all who are and all this is, in shared co-creation of what Martin Luther King Jr. famously spoke about so powerfully: the Beloved Community.

Practicing practices of belonging; becoming beloved community. How do we make these immaterial words and concepts into material reality through our actual practices? How do we translate the notion of becoming beloved community into the actual transformation of the dynamics of power between all who are and all that is: transforming the hoarding and abuse of power (that is, domination – power over) into the free release and free movement of generative and generous power, which we can experience as power with and power for.

I heard a Reproductive Justice organizer, a Black woman, say today, “The world we are fighting for has never, ever existed. Ever. That is why [moral] imagination is so important to this work, to make what we are envisioning and dreaming into a new reality.”

Beloveds, what is the world that you envision? That you dream of? How do we practice those practices of collective belonging in order to manifest the material conditions of Beloved Community?

Over the past several weeks, we who are the staff on the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project – Dr. Aliye Runyan, Becky Martin, and I – had the incredible pleasure of hosting two groups of students at our Abortion Care and Reproductive Justice Institutes. For each of the Institutes, we gathered in groups of about 10 people for a three-day weekend of dialogue and organizing for action for abortion access and reproductive justice, all while nestled in two lovely Airbnb homes surrounded by the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. The experiences that we shared and co-created in this protected – I would say, sacred – space-time were beautiful and profoundly impactful.��

In the smallness of these short gatherings, we witnessed and experienced the emergence of something so significant: intentional community.��

Intentional, in that we all came together for a specific reason and purpose. Intentional, also, in that we put into practice, those practices of belonging that manifest the material conditions of Beloved Community.

We will be hosting several more of these small-scale, home-based, retreat-style�� gatherings over the next academic year. Together, we’ll dream, scheme, imagine, and manifest the world we want to live in. This is hope. Hope isn’t just a feeling; it’s a discipline. It’s a practice. Hope is practicing the practices of belonging even when – and especially when – we find ourselves in an age of social disintegration, as we are right now. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

So, let’s be radical together. Let’s cultivate the most radical power we have: our moral imagination for a world that has never yet existed. And, with radical hope, let’s come together to make that world.

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*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project eNews #26: “A Vote is a Fire Escape” – Your Voice Makes a Difference! August 17, 2024
Find the current and past issues in the Ģ����Ƶ Repro eNews Archive.

Explore the Ģ����Ƶ Reproductive Health Project
Find news, tips, tools, opportunities�� & more!

for Ģ����Ƶ Repro Project Updates

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Just when you thought Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis couldn’t get any worse, he’s supporting the Florida State Board of Education’s new education standards which include teaching K-12 students that slavery had “benefits” for enslaved people. DeSantis, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, and state board of education member MaryLynn Magar believe it is appropriate to teach our children, our future generations, that enslaved people

This concerning and disturbing display of historical revisionism, not only violates any sort of decency standard, but also amounts to a distressing act of white-washing. To be clear, this is not stemming from ignorance, but from a willful, malicious attempt to push an agenda of white supremacy and anti-Black racism. This is also a clear demonstration of the fascist desire to control all aspects of an educational system in order to advance the narratives (propaganda) that facilitate fascist control over all aspects of a society.��

While DeSantis signed the last year, seemingly aiming to protect the fragile egos of a subset of , he has blatantly disregarded the deep harm caused by promoting a narrative in our educational system that downplays the historical suffering endured by Black people under slavery, and the on-going harm caused to Black people in a society that continues to operate under white supremacist anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity. He along with his like-minded white supremacist, fascist “friends” are directly hindering the genuine progress of our country and perpetuating a harmful narrative that dismisses the impact of systemic racism and denies the lived experiences of marginalized communities.��

DeSantis is running a distant second to Trump in national polling for the Republican presidential nomination, and his desperation has only made him more eager to prove himself to the MAGA supporters as a more destructive, more extreme bigot worthy of their adoration. This is what he aims to do by defending a racist curriculum stating that “scholars” put together this “academic standard” (read as “manipulative narrative” – or, to put it more directly, propaganda). Under the guise of “educational reform” this is actually a direct attack against educational truth and truthfulness; under the cloak of “teaching history” this is actually a direct attempt to grab total power to control the narrative that shapes the present and future reality. It is exceedingly important to keep in our focus all the ways that fascist movements seek to control what historical narratives are allowed to be told, and how they are told () in order to control what kind of future reality is allowed to unfold. For this reason, we cannot just critique this so-called reform – and those who support it – as merely foolish and misguided; It is manipulative, nefarious, and very, very dangerous. As an organization representing tens of thousands of future physicians – current students who have committed to life-long learning – the Ģ����Ƶ (Ģ����Ƶ) will�� not stand for this.��

At Ģ����Ƶ we are ethically and morally committed to pushing back against those who engage in whitewashing history. We are committed to truth, honesty, and integrity in education. We are unwavering in our dedication to confront uncomfortable truths of the past, including abhorrent realities of slavery and its devastating impact on the lives of millions of people even to this present moment. We empower our members to be compassionate advocates for justice. If you want to learn the truth of our history and fight against fascist political operators such as Governor DeSantis and his propagandist operatives in agencies like the Florida Board of Education, join us to be a real scholar.�� Enroll in one of the Ģ����Ƶ Scholars Programs for the 2023-24 academic year which include Racism in Medicine, Transgender Health, Sexual Health, Health Justice, and Premedical program, just to name a few. The Fall Scholars Programs begin in September, and registration is open! Knowledge is power, and armed with the truth, we have the strength to combat those who attempt to create false histories in order to invert what people will know and accept as “truth” in the present and in the future.��

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For three action-packed days in June, we took Phoenix by storm. We convened as a mighty force of future physicians from across the globe. We learned. We networked. We sutured. We postered. We speed-dated. And we had an amazing time doing all of it. This was Future Physicians for Change 2023.

The energy from Phoenix is still fresh; we’re basking in the joy of collaboration. This was a first for us at Ģ����Ƶ: we partnered with like-minded organizations to pull off this convention: the , and . How cool is that? Collaboration at work to make change happen. Thank you to you all: this is what progress looks like.

Speakers, Keynotes + Influencers

It was incredible to be together with experts, trailblazers and changemakers from across the country that share our commitment to health equity. We were delighted to hear from our keynotes, Dr. Kristen Brandi, Dr. Shuhan He, Dr. Alex Oshmyansky and the inimitable Amy Herman. Sessions and breakouts ran on concurrent tracks all three days, where we learned, trained and collaborated with the likes of these all-stars:

Sponsors + Exhibitors

Clinical Skills hands-on training from US Army. Scrubs provided by Figs for Sim Challenge teams. Ģ����Ƶ’s partners, sponsors and supporters bring the action and the free swag on the exhibit hall floor. Thank you to our sponsors and

• American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
• Ross University School of Medicine
• UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
• Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate & Graduate Medical Education
• Kaiser Permanente Southern California
• Kaplan
• Blueprint MCAT Preparation
• Canopy
• FIGS
• MedSchoolCoach
• Wolters Kluwer
• The Princeton Review

And just announced…

This coming spring, we’ll convene in Washington DC: Ģ����Ƶ’s original home base and an awesome location for national advocacy action. Save the dates: May 30 – June 1 for Future Physicians for Change 2023. We’re taking over the Hyatt Crystal Regency and soon��the line up will start, well, crystallizing (see what we did).

One thing you need to know: #FP4Change isn’t just a 3-day event. It’s a 365-day ride. And it starts now��— here —��and it gains momentum all year long. We start by building leadership skills; delving deeply into pressing topics that aren’t always offered in medical school; learning how to advocate for change; and networking with influencers and peers.��

Then, in late spring, we bring it all together in person and it’s straight-up magic. Changemaking magic — in the name of health equity.

How to get involved?

— this folds you into our ‘first alerts’ list. You can be the first to know when registration is open (earliest bird rates) and more.

The post Future Physicians for Change 2024 Dates Announced appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

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3 Tips for Managing Stress- by BetterHelp

Many of us hear the word ‘stress’ every day, often multiple times per day. Did you know Americans are one of the most stressed out in the world? American stress levels are 20 percentage points higher than the global average (source: stress.org). Stress means different things for different people, but we can all agree that stress impacts who we are and what we do. Our partners at BetterHelp, including licensed mental health professionals, have outlined three ways to better manage stress below.

1. Set Boundaries: Boundaries are limits that define what you are and are not willing to do. To identify and set boundaries, first ask yourself what those wants and interests are, and then learn how to communicate them. In a culture that celebrates overwork, perhaps the hardest part is learning how to say ‘no’.
2. Use a planner: Using a planner is a great way to manage your academic, professional, and personal life. Writing things down in a planner or using the Calendar and Reminders apps on your phone can help you stay organized and prevent or alleviate feelings of stress. If you’re trying to achieve a better work-life balance, leverage a planner to make time for people and activities that make you happy. You can also use these tools to hold yourself accountable to taking lunch breaks, study breaks, and more!
3. Get Therapy: Did you know a licensed therapist can help you developing coping skills to manage and balance your work and personal life, improving stress levels. Managing different relationships across your professional and personal life can be difficult- talking about it in therapy helps. Online therapy might even be a better option for the Ģ����Ƶ community. No more driving to and from appointments and squeezing something else into your calendar. You can get professional therapy on your terms: schedule a phone, video, or live chat session on days and times that work for you. Plus, leverage unlimited messaging to get support on the go, when you need it. Visit and get 1 month of free therapy ($300 value).

The post Ways to practice self-care with a busy schedule- by BetterHelp appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

Celebrating Sexuality: Supporting Sex Positivity in our Patients & in Ourselves

Friday, April 14, 2023 / 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EST

Join in a conversation with sexuality educator, , to address sex positivity, eroticism and pleasure,
sexual play and fantasy, and the ethical practices of enthusiastic consent that can help keep everyone safe while having fun.��

With a focus on sex positivity in clinical encounters, this discussion will help future physicians provide safe, supportive, and affirming sexual health care.

Also, there will be games and prizes from Adam & Eve!

This event is FREE of charge & open to all!

Questions? Please contact members@amsa.org

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As we enter American Heart Month, it’s helpful to reflect on ways that we, as current and future healthcare providers, can stay heart healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. That’s about 1 in every 5 deaths annually. With proper lifestyle modifications, heart disease is preventable. As a pre-medical student, medical student, or resident, it can be difficult to find ways to be heart healthy. We are often faced with long hours at the hospital and social obligations, all while attempting to study and maintain healthy personal relationships. We counsel our patients on the importance of eating healthy and exercising, but often do not take the time to practice what we preach. Here are some tips on how to stay heart healthy while going through medical training:��

1. Take a few deep breaths before entering a patient’s room. High blood pressure contributes to heart disease. Deep breathing helps increase oxygen exchange and can help lower heart rate and blood pressure.��
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Most residents and students spend 10+ hours in the hospital and are drained by the end of the day. When traveling between floors opt for the stairs. Each step brings you one step closer to being heart healthy. If you have a more flexible schedule, consider working out before a shift; whether it be at your home or at a local gym. Per the CDC, 150 minutes of exercise each week could leave you feeling more alert, reduce stress, and improve decision-making capabilities.��
3. Be mindful in the cafeteria or meal prep in advance. When entering the hospital cafeteria (if your hospital has one), it can be easy to gravitate towards a quick slice of pizza, a burger, and/or chips. Search for healthy alternatives. If you’re having difficulty identifying healthy meal options, consider asking the cafeteria staff which foods are designated as heart healthy.��

For those of you without access to a cafeteria, meal prepping can be a helpful way to stay on track. Having a set day to cook and having an accountability buddy can help increase long-term success.��

��

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That’s because most resolutions don’t stick. A minor setback can feel like we’ve “failed” at achieving our resolution and cause us to abandon it. We also try to take on too many resolutions at once. There’s often little social support that comes along with our efforts – we feel like we have to achieve our goals by ourselves.

This year, BetterHelp says skip the resolutions and do something that will bring about real change in your life – therapy. Whether you want to make specific improvements to your mental health, understand yourself on a deeper level, or just generally want to improve your mental fortitude, therapy is a great way to bring about change. Online therapy might even be a better option for the Ģ����Ƶ community. No more driving to and from appointments and squeezing something else into your calendar. You can get professional therapy on your terms: schedule a phone, video, or live chat session on days and times that work for you. Plus, leverage messaging with your therapist to get support on the go, when you need it. Visit and get 1 month of free therapy ($300 value).

The post Therapy as a long-lasting New Year’s Resolution- by BetterHelp appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

1. Set Boundaries: Boundaries are limits that define what you are and are not willing to do. To identify and set boundaries, first ask yourself what those wants and interests are, and then learn how to communicate them. In a culture that celebrates overwork, perhaps the hardest part is learning how to say ‘no’.
2. Use a planner: Using a planner is a great way to manage your academic, professional, and personal life. Writing things down in a planner or using the Calendar and Reminders apps on your phone can help you stay organized and prevent or alleviate feelings of stress. If you’re trying to achieve a better work-life balance, leverage a planner to make time for people and activities that make you happy. You can also use these tools to hold yourself accountable to taking lunch breaks, study breaks, and more!
3. Get Therapy: Did you know a licensed therapist can help you developing coping skills to manage and balance your work and personal life, improving stress levels. Managing different relationships across your professional and personal life can be difficult- talking about it in therapy helps. Online therapy might even be a better option for the Ģ����Ƶ community. No more driving to and from appointments and squeezing something else into your calendar. You can get professional therapy on your terms: schedule a phone, video, or live chat session on days and times that work for you. Plus, leverage unlimited messaging to get support on the go, when you need it. Visit and get 1 month of free therapy ($300 value).

The post 3 Tips for Managing Stress- by BetterHelp appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.

What you can do:

Be the person someone can reach out to
There are huge systemic changes that we as a society need to address. However, it all starts with you. The person desperate for your help may be a colleague, a classmate, or a friend.

Mental health training
As with physical health, mental health crises can arise. Learning the signs of various diseases and developing the skills to address these can greatly improve the outcomes for our patients and those around us. Join��Ģ����Ƶ��and learn these skills through various trainings we hold, or see what is available in your area.

Contact your local representative
Many state medical boards have language stigmatizing physician mental health in their license applications. Contact your local state board and show your support for inclusive best practices regarding mental health care for our physicians.

Mental health resources

Call 988
As of July 16, 2022, The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is now 988. Their goal is to “provide 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.”
��
Crisis Text Line
Text “HELLO” to 741741. “Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high-quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention by empowering a community of trained volunteers to support people in their moments of need.”

References and further information

• 988 Lifeline
• American Foundation of Suicide Prevention
• Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation
• Crisis Text Line
• National Institute of Mental Health

��

Paul��Macaballug

Chair, Wellness and Student Life Action Committee

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused a paradigm shift in the residency application process (the Match) to virtual interviews during the 2020-2021 cycle. Comprehensive evaluation of the virtual interview format requires collecting insight from applicants. Existing studies on the 2020-2021 virtual application process surveyed applicants before interviews occurred, asked residents in the context of fellowship applications, or assessed how faculty viewed virtual interviews. Residents applying for fellowship expressed mixed opinions about whether virtual interviews should continue.��

We aimed to evaluate applicants’ perspectives on the 2020-2021 virtual residency application cycle. To accomplish this, we surveyed 158 medical students from 24 states who applied to 31 specialties post-Match.��

Five common themes from qualitative analysis of free response answers were identified (Figure 1). Many applicants found it difficult to determine compatibility, or “fit”, with a program due to the lack of casual, in-person interactions. In addition, applicants could accept more interview invitations because of fewer geographical, financial, and time constraints. One applicant mentioned they attended two interviews on the same day for two institutions located across the country, which would not have been possible with in-person interviews.��

Resident interactions served as the most important interview day component for determining program fit within the virtual setting. However, the virtual setting hindered applicants’ ability to evaluate interactions among faculty, residents, and other hospital staff. In terms of resources provided to students, medical schools ranged from providing students with interview kits with laptop stands and ring lights to providing nothing. There was a shared theme that applicants would have accepted fewer interviews due to financial, geographic, and time constraints had interviews been conducted in-person.

Our surveys showed that most applicants were satisfied with the 2020-2021 Match and wanted residencies to continue providing virtual interviews. However there are equity concerns that should be addressed as virtual interviews continue for upcomingMatch cycles.

Figure 1: Supporting Quotes for Novel Themes

Affiliation:

1Shirley Chen, B.S, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.

2Melanie Schroeder, B.S., University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona.

3Natasha Topolski, B.S, Houston, Texas.

4Emelyn Zaworski, B.S., Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

5Kseniya Anishchenko, B.A., University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.��

6Shyon Parsa, B.S., University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas.

7Christina Zhu, B.S, B.A, Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas.

8Esther Bae, B.S, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.

9Whitney Stuard, Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas.

10Jay Patel, B.S., University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee.��

11Shanon Quach, B.S., University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, Texas.

12Sahar Panjwani, B.S., University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Edinburg, Texas.

13Thomas Kun Pak, M.D, Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas.

References

The post A Match Made in Cyberspace: Applicant Perspectives on Residency Application (2020-2021) appeared first on Ģ����Ƶ.