The Doctor's Art
The practice of medicine–filled with moments of joy, suffering, grace, sorrow, and hope–offers a window into the human condition. Though serving as guides and companions to patients’ illness experiences is profoundly meaningful work, the busy nature of modern medicine can blind its own practitioners to the reasons they entered it in the first place. Join resident physician Henry Bair and oncologist Tyler Johnson as they meet with doctors, patients, leaders, educators, and others in healthcare, to explore stories on finding and nourishing meaning in medicine. This podcast is for anyone striving for a deeper connection with their medical journey. Visit TheDoctorsArt.com for more information.
The Doctor's Art
“Ubuntu” and the Soul of Medicine | Christian Ntizimira, MD
The Genocide Against the Tutsi, occurring in Rwanda between April-July 1994, was a devastating episode of mass violence in which nearly 1 million people were killed over a period of 100 days. Fueled by longstanding ethnic tensions, political power struggles, and a deep seated history of discrimination, the genocide saw members of the Tutsi ethnic group slaughtered indiscriminately by extremists of the Hutu ethnic group.
Growing up amid this chaos, Christian Ntizimira, MD witnessed some of humanity's most horrific atrocities. Instead of turning away, however, he chose to enter medicine, a profession that would allow him to address the immense suffering he saw. Today, Dr. Ntizimira is a palliative care physician and the founder and executive director of the African Center for Research on End of Life Care.
In this episode, Dr. Ntizimira joins us to share his personal experiences with the Rwandan Genocide, his journey to palliative medicine after initially exploring a career in surgery, what palliative care means to him, what it looks like to honor the dignity of a patient, how he advocates better access to palliative care and chronic illness care, and his unique approach to medicine rooted in “ubuntu,” a philosophy emphasizing the universal bond that connects all humanity that is best summarized by the phrase “I am because you are.”
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
2:45 - How Dr. Ntizimira’s experience as a young person during the Rwandan Genocide inspired him to become a physician, and how he eventually found himself drawn to palliative care
14:25 - Dr. Ntizimira’s distinction between “treating the disease” and “treating the person”
20:22 - How Dr. Ntizimira teaches doctors to fully conceptualize patients as people instead of focusing only on their medical ailments
25:50 - The heart of palliative care that transcends cultures
30:54 - The importance of presence in palliative care
38:27 - What “reconciliation” means in Dr. Ntizimira’s approach to palliative care
47:17 - “Ubuntu,” an African philosophy emphasizing a shared connection among humans, and how it can revolutionize how we care for patients
Dr. Christian Ntizimira is the author of The Safari Concept: An African Framework for End of Life Care.
Dr. Christian Ntizimira can be found on Twitter/X at @ntizimira.
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