This bi-annual concert series features members of our community. Students, faculty, and staff perform their favorite piece of music on instruments ranging from piano and guitar to flute.
To register to perform please email Aleax Olivera
2023 Humanitarian Award and Scholarship Awardees
Four exceptional individuals earned recognition from The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine.
Nominations for the awards are anonymous but highlight the distinct personal and altruistic nature of these awards. We are proud to bestow these awards to these individuals who provide humanitarian care and who exhibit extraordinary empathy in our healthcare settings.
2023 Mary Louise Witmer Jones Humanitarian Award
Simon Johnson, MD, Emergency Medicine Resident
“Having been nominated for this award invigorates me. I’ve noticed that at work I am thinking more often about the impact I am having on my patients, coworkers and students. The biggest impact you can have on a patient is by being kind. Everything else we do is secondary to that.” – Dr. Johnson
“Dr. Johnson is a wonderful example of a humanitarian healthcare provider. Since he first entered our doors in July 2021 to begin his emergency medicine residency, he has consistently demonstrated compassionate care for his patients, colleagues, fellow learners, and ancillary staff. Despite our extremely stressful, chaotic, and unpredictable environment Dr. Johnson always gives 100 percent of himself. He is humble, practices reflective listening, creates an environment of inquiry for learners, and is never impatient with anyone. Dr. Johnson has received countless compliments from patients, ancillary staff, peers, and attendings on his off-service rotations.”
– Nominator
2023 Third-Year Medical Student Humanitarian Award
Tilicea Henry
“Being nominated and chosen for this award filled me with internal gratitude for the kind words spoken about me. Throughout medical school training, it can be challenging to gauge one’s performance, and being chosen for this award has given me a sense of purpose and deep appreciation for being acknowledged in such a positive manner.” – Tilicea Henry
“Tilicea comes from a very diverse background and through the lens of her own lived experience, consistently demonstrates cultural sensitivity with patients and family members of diverse backgrounds. Tilicea is consistently one of the students we can always count on to be present, to lean in, to follow-up and to lead. She adheres to the highest professional and ethical standards. She has an extraordinary moral compass, knowing the fundamental difference between right and wrong. She leads by example in this regard as well. Her teammates look to Tilicea for support and guidance. She is an active upstander and digs in deeply to issues of equality and social justice.” – Nominator
2023 Nurse’s Humanitarian Award in Honor of Lawrence F. Kienle, MD
Nancy Lokey, RN, CRRN, CBIS, Nurse Coordinator, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
“I am deeply honored to have been nominated and receive this prestigious award for my commitment in making a positive impact for our patients, families and community. Humanistic care is important in my career as I work with people who have sustained life-altering injuries or illnesses. Patients also need education and support to reintegrate back into their lives and community with a new normal. Ultimately, I try to empower them to increase their quality of life and live a joyous, abundant life.”- Nancy Lokey
“Nancy Lokey is a dedicated, caring nurse working in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She joined Penn State Health in 2005. She is both a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS). Her compassionate, caring spirit, and determination makes positive things happen for individuals with a disability in our community. Nancy is well-respected by her peers and community organizations for her leadership skills. Nancy has a never-ending commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities, in addition to her ongoing learning and teaching mentality.” – Nominator
2023 Joseph and Mary Caputo Scholarship Award
Annika Daya, MD Candidate, Class of 2024
“Receiving the Caputo Scholarship has been such an honor, as I appreciated reading the Caputo family story and how the impact of Joseph Caputo, Sr.’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease encouraged the entire family to become resilient and care for each other with compassion and dedication. I’m incredibly grateful to have received this award, and it serves as a reminder of the responsibility I have toward my future patients, colleagues, and community. I hope to continue to be an advocate for fostering open communication among patients and their loved ones, as well as providing not only physical healing but also emotional support and promoting overall well-being.”
“We are blessed to have a number of humanistic, talented, and hard-working students entering neurology, and Annika shines among the very best. By embracing her family’s past in Zambia, bringing lessons home to guide her fellow resident and student neurologists, and seeking every opportunity possible to engage with difficult conversations to hone her communication skills, she ties together her past and present into a clear professional identity as a patient-minded clinician and thoughtful educator.” – Letter submitted on Annika’s behalf
Story Slam
October 15, 2024
Start time: 7:00 p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
@ The Englewood, Hershey, PA
Bring your family and friends and enjoy a night out while you listen to personal stories from our colleagues and friends, and maybe share a story of your own.
Penn State Health (all campuses) and College of Medicine students, faculty, healthcare providers, employees, your families, and friends are invited to attend the third Kienle Center Story Slam, a gathering where anyone can take a turn at the microphone and tell a true story based on the night’s theme. Three judges are chosen from the audience and each storyteller is given scores based on content and presentation. The competition aspect of the event is light-hearted!
Stories are shared with no notes, no props, no music. They are true, speak to the theme, and
are five to six minutes long.
The Night’s Theme:
“Bearing Witness”
Hosted by Jason Plotkin, PSH Marketing and Communications
Have a story to share? Sign up at the door.
Dinner and drinks available for purchase and served before and during the show.
Registration appreciated but not mandatory, walk-ins welcome.
For more information email Aleax Olivera.
If you are not familiar with Story Slam events, below are some links to stories told at the Lancaster and York Story Slam series.
Meghan Turk tells the story of how her curiosity led to a career in medicine and an explosion of blood.
The theme of the night was Curiosity.
Learn more at Lancasterstoryslam.com
Beth Horenkamp tells about a day when she realized the the thrill and enormity of her impact as an oncologist.
The theme of the night was Respect.
Jason Plotkin shares about trauma he experienced as a photojournalist, and not having the tools to process it.
Our theme for the evening was No Place Like Home.
Tori Kager shares about her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian.
The theme of the night was Are You Sure?
Doc Yoder shares about his relationship with his grandmother.
The theme of the night was LAST CHANCE.
Find more examples of storytelling at yorkstoryslam.com and lancasterstoryslam.com
Story Circle Project
Participants needed
Story Circles is a theater engagement in which people learn to listen deeply and without judgement. Story Circles provides a foundation of listening that can be transformative in the building of relationships, creativity and organizational effectiveness.
The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine is partnering with the Penn State Health Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the College of Medicine Office for Diversity, Equity and Belonging to offer an opportunity for healthcare professionals, other employees and students to learn to facilitate Story Circles.
This training consists of two one-hour sessions, which will take place in-person at all Penn State Health medical centers.
Facilitated by Mark McKenna, a professional actor who has worked in the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania for over 35 years. As a teaching artist, he specializes in:
• creating structures of play for learning and personal development,
• integrating the arts and movement with academics,
• developing relationships and civic dialogue through theater.
Register to attend by emailing Aleax Olivera at aolivera@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
We will contact you when we have enough interest to begin scheduling.
