Physical Listening for Physicians
Faculty:
Nina Shevzov-Zebrun
Stanford Pediatric Resident, Course Director
JoAnna Mendl Shaw
Choreographer, Artistic Director The Equus Projects,
Creator Physical Listening Content
Trudy Kim
Medical Humanities Research Fellow
Stanford University School of Medicine | Medicine & the Muse
​Stanford University '23 | Human Biology B.S.
​
Stanford Winter Quarter
January 8-March 12, 2025
Wednesdays 5:00-7:00pm
Physical Listening:
At the junction of movement and medicine
How our bodies move in space—the energy we project, the velocity of our motion, the way we interact with our surroundings—informs how we communicate. In medical settings, for instance, research has repeatedly shown that simply by sitting (versus standing), providers can shift how patients perceive their communication skills.1-3
This interdisciplinary course bridges dance and medicine to introduce health and pre-health professionals—and any learners interested in exploring the substance and significance of physical movement—to the concept of “embodiment.” Through interactive exercises, video viewings and discussions, participants will hone embodied skills intimately familiar to trained dancers (e.g., movement analysis, kinesthetic awareness, spatial perception), but notably missing from traditional clinical training. Applied to the medical arena, such skills have potential toenhance therapeutic alliance, teamwork, diagnostics and decision-making, cultural sensitivity,and much more.
Open to all undergraduate and graduate students, as well as interested faculty fellows.
No former dance experience/training required.
Lead instructor: choreographer JoAnna Mendl Shaw
Additional instruction by physicians, dancers, physical therapists, occupational therapists and others
Learning Objectives
After participation in this course, learners will:
1) Systematically analyze physical movement for meaning, leveraging language grounded inmovement’s fundamental building blocks while avoiding stereotypes/biases around movement practices
2) Consider how medical providers and allied health professionals (physical therapists, occupational therapists, art therapists, etc.) can incorporate embodied knowledge into clinical work
3) Understand their own personal “styles” of acquiring, processing and applying embodied knowledge—and how to begin to apply them in daily clinical practice
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21719234/
2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374373518778862