Mikkael Sekeres, M.D., is the guest physician-writer for this year’s William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition award presentation and readings, to be held Friday, April 26, at Watanakunakorn Auditorium from noon-2 p.m. Lunch will be provided for students at noon, and the program will begin immediately following. Faculty and staff are invited to attend.
Essays by Dr. Sekeres on his role as a physician appear frequently in The New York Times. In an article titled, “A ‘Sentimental Journey’ in the Cancer Clinic,” he wrote, “I am a firm believer in the ability of music to help people express their emotions, hopes and fears, making their medical conditions more tolerable. In one study, patients undergoing a bone-marrow transplant were randomized to participate in a music therapy program or receive standard medical care. Those who received music therapy needed fewer narcotic pain medications than those receiving the usual care.”
A professor of medicine, director of the leukemia program, and vice chair for clinical research at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Dr. Sekeres is also deputy associate director for clinical research of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ohio.
37th year, and growing
Competition was stiff for the 37th annual contest, which attracted 380 entries from medicine students from around the country – a 44 percent increase from the prior year. This year’s top three winners are from Emory University; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.