Gold Humanism Honor Society

American medical honor society
Gold Humanism Honor Society
GHHS
TypeHonor society
AffiliationArnold P. Gold Foundation
StatusActive
EmphasisHumanism in healthcare
Chartered2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Chapters180
Members45,000+ lifetime
Headquarters2125 Center Avenue, Suite 305
Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024
United States
Websitewww.gold-foundation.org/programs/ghhs/

The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is an American honor society that recognizes senior medical students, residents, and physician teachers for excellence in clinical care, compassion, and dedication to humanism in service. It was created by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine in 2002 and has more than 45,000 members.

History

The idea for the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) came from residency program directors and medical educators who wanted a way to identify residency applicants with outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills.[1] In 1999, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation spearheaded the effort to create the honor society, wanting to improve healthcare and the culture of medical schools.[2] The society's establishment was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Berrie Foundation, and an anonymous donor.[1][2]

The Gold Humanism Honor Society was established in 2002 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and is its signature program.[3] The mission of GHHS "is to recognize individuals who are exemplars of humanistic patient care and who can serve as role models, mentors, and leaders in medicine."[4] In 2009, a study published in the Journal of Surgical Education found that membership in GHHS had a positive impact on a medical student's selection for residency.[5]

GHHS had 113 medical student chapters, fifteen resident chapters, and more than 20,000 members in August 2014.[6][3] The Association of American Medical Colleges amended the Electronic Residency application in 2016 to include a GHHS identified in 2016.[6][3]

GHHS supports the importance of humanistic healthcare and honors physicians who achieve this excellence. A 2018 study published in the journal Teaching and Learning in Medicine concluded that GHHS members "scored significantly higher on average over 4 years than non-GHHS inductees on clinical empathy, patient-centered beliefs, and tolerance of ambiguity."[7] The study was completed using date from the American Medical Association Learning Environment Study.[7]

As of 2024, GHHS has more than 180 chapters in medical schools and internship programs and more than 45,000 members.[1] It is overseen by the staff of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in Fort Lee, New Jersey.[8][9]

Symbols and traditions

Members are inducted in a White Coat Ceremony.[4]

Activities

GHHS sponsors service initiatives, including Solidarity Week for Compassionate Care and Thank a Resident Day.[1] It hosts the Gold Connection podcast.[1] It presents the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine awards and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Awards.[10] It also holds a biennial national educational conference.[2]

Membership

Members include fourth-year medical students who plan on residency, residents, and medical school faculty of institutions with chapters.[4] [11] Members are elected by their colleagues and staff and are reviewed by a screening committee based on their contribution to humanism and their communicaton skills, community service, compassion, integrity, and moral judgment.[4] Members come from the top ten to fifteen percent of third-year medical students.[12]

See also

  • Honor society

Further reading

  • Iserson, Kenneth V. (2003). Iserson's Getting Into a Residency (6th ed). Tucson: Galen Press. ISBN 978-1883620301

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Gold Humanism Honor Society". The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  2. ^ a b c Gold, Sandra O. “Gold Humanism Honor Society Provides Recognition for Humanistic Doctors.” Journal of the National Medical Association vol. 96,2 (2004): 150–151. via National Library of Medicine.
  3. ^ a b c Levin, Richard and Cohen, Jordan and White, Lynn. (March 2015). "Gold Humanism Honor Society Membership Indicator to Be Added to ERAS Applications Beginning With 2016 Application Cycle". Journal of graduate medical education, 7 (1), 136. via National Library of Medicine.
  4. ^ a b c d "Gold Humanism Honor Society". www.med.unc.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  5. ^ Susan Rosenthal, Brian Howard, Yvette R. Schlussel et al. "Does Medical Student Membership in the Gold Humanism Honor Society Influence Selection for Residency?" Journal of Surgical Education, vol. 66, no. 6 (2009): 308-313. ISSN 1931-7204
  6. ^ a b "ERAS medical residency application to include GHHS identifier". The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  7. ^ a b Gaufberg, Elizabeth; Dunham, Lisette; Krupat, Edward, et al. 2018. “Do Gold Humanism Honor Society Inductees Differ From Their Peers in Empathy, Patient-Centeredness, Tolerance of Ambiguity, Coping Style, and Perception of the Learning Environment?” Teaching and Learning in Medicine 30 (3): 284–93. doi:10.1080/10401334.2017.1419873
  8. ^ "Contact Us". The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  9. ^ "Staff". The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  10. ^ "Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society". Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  11. ^ "Gold Humanism Honor Society". UW School of Medicine. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  12. ^ "Gold Humanism Honor Society". The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  • Arnold P. Gold Foundation