More than 100 physicians, students and members of the Stanford community gathered last week at the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge for the inaugural concert of the Stanford Medicine Music Network.
During the event, Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the medical school, told the audience, "It is so gratifying to be here this evening, and to see that musicians in the medical community have a means to continue to play and perform." Music was a big part of Minor's life in medical school and he played the cello in a musical trio that played at various events during that time.
The network was launched last year after Minor and Steve Goodman, MD, PhD, associate dean for research and translational science, discovered they both attended a 1976 cello performance by Yo-Yo Ma, who was then a student at Harvard. The shared memory inspired them to establish a musical home for the medical community. They joined forces with Audrey Shafer, MD, professor of anesthesiology and director of the Medicine and Muse Program, and Ben Robison, a medical student and professional violinist, and created the Stanford Medicine Music Network (SMMN, pronounced "summon").
Among the goals of the network are to connect musicians for group practices, organize chamber music and string quartet groups and stage performances at Stanford and in the surrounding community in an effort to contribute to healthy communities.
The concert featured classical and contemporary music as well as a special gift presentation by Charles Prober, MD, senior associate dean of medical education, thanking medical student Kenric Tam and his parents, Carol and Kingsang, for their generous donation of a grand piano. The piano, which will reside outside Paul Berg Hall, will be available for events and members of the Stanford Medicine community to play.
As the program ended, Goodman noted in his concluding remarks that the word "summon" describes multiple aspects of what the network represents. "As musicians, we are summoned to perform, and this in turn summons those who care to listen," he said. "As physicians and medical students, many of us are answering a summons we felt to care for others, and I think keeping music in our lives allows us to do a better job of that."
Previously: Stanford's Medicine and the Muse symposium features author of "The Kite Runner", "Deconstructed Pain:" Medicine meets fine arts, Stanford network launched to connect musicians, music lovers and What physicians can learn from musicians
