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MISSION
Our mission is to create a publication for future doctors based on introspection and communication of clinical and personal experiences via a range of media.
VISION
Our vision is to further the field of medical humanities by exploring the web of emotions of healthcare providers, patients and caregivers. We aim to encourage reflection and expression among medical students as a means to be more empathetic practitioners in the future. With the ever-changing landscape of our social world, it is imperative that we understand the points of view of our peers and the population we serve - from a personal level to a political level. We hope that through art, we all can speak with a common understanding of the human condition.
WHO WE ARE
Phasia's roots go back to 2023, with the Narrative Medicine elective offered by the University of Melbourne's MD program. The creators of this online zine wanted to make student experiences more accessible to patients, as well as fellow students across the globe as we transition into the emotional and often overwhelming world of clinical practice. At Phasia, we accept submissions for publication and support artists with editorial input for a wide range of media. Get to know the minds behind Phasia as we introduce our editors, team and talented authors. Join us in shaping the narrative of narrative medicine.
MEET THE TEAM
Editors
Laksha Alahakoon
Hi, I’m Laksha! I love all things art and writing, and am a big advocate for self-expression and productive rumination.
As medical students, we find ourselves in the privileged position to listen to and partake in patients’ stories and consider how they impact our own. Our art is just as much a part of us as our science. What we notice as doctors may lead to concisely penned medical records or, equally sincere reflections on justice, emotion, or life and death.
I am so excited to be a part of this project. There is a lot to be said and so many ways to say it, and I can’t wait to see what strange and wonderful things emerge from the amalgamation that is Phasia.
Rachel Ko
Hi! I'm Rachel, and I will forever insist that medicine is an art.
After all, you can’t have medicine without communication. And narratives - stories – are what drive that. Student publications are a passion project of mine I just can’t seem to shake. Phasia is born from the creative outpourings of our peers - thoughts we scribble between rotations, questions we haven’t answered yet, moments we don’t want to forget. Even as time thins and our clinical demands expand, making space for catharsis like this still feels not just worthwhile, but necessary.
Swati Iyer
Hello! I’m Swati. I’ve learned that people see life through stories. Memories, hopes, fears are all embedded deep within stories – either real or not yet real. People’s words reflect their worlds.
As future clinicians, we are going to be parts of people’s stories, but we need to acknowledge our own thoughts, feelings, and observations.
Phasia is an attempt to practice using our language for reflection, advocacy and self-care. My hope for Phasia is for it to provide a community of medical students the space to process experiences and reflect on our place in the world. And to frequently pause to smell the flowers.
Staff
Secretary
Ryan Lumpreiks
Hi! I'm Ryan. Magic is often in the minutiae, the numerous deliberate creative choices that wholly culminate to breathe life into the inert: the page, the canvas, the landscape.
Pretentious as that may sound, these
sentiments inspired me to support Phasia, handing a microphone to the unique experiences of future doctors.
Phasia feels like a place where out of these experiences we will emerge more grounded and more compassionate.
Treasurer
Chang
Hi! I’m Chang. Ironic given the notions of this association, but I struggle to put into the right words what motivated me to join Phasia. It’s something about the goal: to present narratives and stories at the core of medical work. It captures the strikingly human essence that drew me to the profession in the first place.
It’s a privileged position of responsibility, trust and opportunity that can be exceedingly overwhelming at times. But to chronicle one’s thoughts and reflections into something tangible is a good reminder for why we do these things in the first place. Hopefully, this is a platform that people can use to help with just that!
Outreach manager
Ann Guo
Hi! I’m Ann. So much of medicine is theory and science, but so much of it is also in the deeply human experiences of joy or suffering that connects us to each other. I have always admired storytelling as a reflection of internal experience and as a catalyst for change - for both the patient, the practitioner or the family.
I hope we get to witness something greater than ourselves by transforming the everyday into art.