Eight years ago, James F. Smith Jr., M.D., faced a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. His trajectory in medicine sparked a new path and, after chemotherapy and surgery, Smith emerged not only cancer-free, but with a transformed understanding of what it means to teach and heal.
“I’ve sort of developed a different outlook and different thought process on what medical education has been — and what it should be,” he said. “And part and parcel with that is, what do I do when I’m not here?”
Today, as a professor with a background in fetal medicine, Smith channels that question into action with his focus on medical education and medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine. Smith teaches bioethics to first and second-year medical and PA students, grounding his courses in the Jesuit principle of cura personalis, or care for the whole person.
To Smith, the Jesuit mission is not confined to a specific religion but rather is a framework for forming better physicians.
“The practice of medicine can occur by having knowledge in basic and clinical sciences and the application there. So, the practice of medicine can occur without a background in humanities or ethics. It’s just not as good as it could be,” he said.
“And so, here at Creighton … we feel so strongly about not just meeting the minimum standard but actually meeting the higher standard of the professional identity formation of medical students,” Smith said. “That, in its foundation, has Ignatian pedagogy and the humanities, and definitely ethics.”
In Smith’s opinion, humanities remind students to treat patients as more than cases.
“When we approach patients as whole people, we want to hear their narrative, [and] then we’ve developed a relationship — not just a transaction — but a relationship,” Smith said.
Smith said his classroom approach reflects the Jesuit belief that learning is reciprocal and dynamic.
“In a healthy classroom environment, you shouldn’t be able to tell who is the teacher and who is the student,” he said. “Teaching and learning are reciprocal activities, and they go hand in hand. “
That commitment to individualized care extends to how Smith envisions the future of medical education.
“We care about each individual [student],” Smith said. “We care about them in a way that should be translated into, ‘We’re going to find what makes you tick, and you’re going to run wild with it.’”
He similarly urged baccalaureate undergraduates who are thinking of a career in healthcare to not only stay persistent in studies but to take classes that resonate with their passions.
“Take music composition. Take literature. Do a double major. Just do something that’s really tough. You’ll never regret it,” Smith said.
For Smith, Jesuit education is more than an academic framework: it’s a moral imperative.
“Healthcare is a big, complicated system,” Smith said. “It’s good, fundamentally. Our system is good, and it’s better when we have physicians steeped in Jesuit ideals, whether they are Catholic or not.”
The curriculum is esigned to help instill these values in future physicians.
“There’s intention with the design of the curriculum. We don’t just let it happen. We plan for it. We plan every minute. We plan the test items. We plan for the curriculum, the students’ activities, the application, which is so important with Jesuit education. St. Ignatius said, “Go out and set the world on fire.’ He didn’t say, ‘Stay close and set the world on fire.’ He didn’t say, ‘Go out and tiptoe and see what you can do.’ Go out and set the world ablaze. So … I find the most comfort being in a Jesuit academic institution,” Smith said.