An Educational Roadmap from The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust - January 25

A new report, The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: Historical Evidence, Implications for Today, Teaching for Tomorrow, was released on Nov. 8, 2023*. Commission members aimed to provide up-to-date documentation of the history of medicine during the Holocaust, a thorough analysis of the implications for medicine today, and new educational approaches to this field.   

On Jan. 25, the AAMC will host its third annual virtual event in observance of International Holocaust Day of Remembrance. Members of The Lancet Commission will provide an overview of the report and its recommendations for educators as well as a look at some new educational initiatives on this topic.   

Speakers:

• David J. Skorton, MD, President and CEO, AAMC
• Richard Horton, OBE, FRCPCH, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet
• Sabine Hildebrandt, MD, Co-Chair, The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust
• Hedy Wald, PhD, Commissioner, The Lancet Commission  
• Emma Nalianya, MD, Student Advisory Council Member, The Lancet Commission  
• Max Stone, MD, Student Advisory Council Member, The Lancet Commission  
• Kristin Sarsfield, Medical Student 

Please consider offering a post-seminar discussion or other activity at your institution to extend the learning. 

Teaching health professions students about medicine during Nazism and the Holocaust can promote ethical reasoning, moral development, and courage to stand up against antisemitism, racism, and other forms of discrimination through history-informed professional identity formation.

Supplemental Resources:

• Read the six-part The Lancet report:
  • Part 1: Historical overview of medicine during Nazism and the Holocaust
  • Part 2: Grappling with medicine’s role during Nazism after World War II
  • Part 3: Key implications for contemporary medicine and medical education
  • Part 4: Specific implications for contemporary health care
  • Part 5: Conceptual framework for teaching medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust
  • Part 6: A roadmap for teaching the history of medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust
• Watch the The Lancet's Launch Event and Symposium for this report
• See suggestions for critical reflection activities

Learning Objectives:

After the session, participants will be able to:

1. Examine the new Lancet report on medicine, Nazism and the Holocaust and its contemporary implications for teaching and learning in health professions.
2. Compare and contrast diverse international approaches to integrating history into health professions education.
3. Defend the value of fostering history-informed professional identity formation among health professionals.

*Following is a statement from The Lancet about the timing of this report: “The report of The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust was accepted for publication before the massacre in the south of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists killed an estimated 1,400 Israelis, which included Jews, Arabs, women, men, children, and older people, and also foreign nationals. More than 200 people were taken hostage and removed to Gaza. We condemn these crimes against humanity in the strongest terms, and we denounce the perpetrators' use of their own people (including patients and staff in health-care facilities) as human shields.”
Source: Chelouche, T, et.al., (2023, November 8). Statement of the Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism and the Holocaust. The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02461-3/fulltext#bib1

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