Patient Stories as a Teaching Tool
Speaker: Dr. Chitra Prasad
Integrating patient stories into the teaching of genetics and metabolic medicine offers a powerful approach to bridge the gap between molecular concepts and human experience. Narrative-based learning engages students emotionally and cognitively, enhancing empathy, clinical reasoning, and retention of complex scientific material. This approach situates genomic and metabolic disorders within real-life contexts, helping learners appreciate variability in phenotypic expression, diagnostic challenges, and the psychosocial impacts of disease. Studies in health sciences education have shown that storytelling promotes active learning and deep understanding of ethical and societal implications of modern genetics. Incorporating authentic patient narratives—through written accounts, recorded interviews, or direct participation—encourages reflective practice and patient-centered thinking. As a teaching strategy, patient storytelling not only enriches comprehension of genetic mechanisms and metabolic pathways but also fosters compassionate, ethical engagement with patients and families affected by rare diseases. I am sharing my experience about role of patient stories through metabolic newsletters over last 23 years at London Health Sciences Centre London Ontario. Over the years I have used metabolic newsletters to include patients as participants and advocates for their own care. I will be sharing our recent Metabolic newsletter that tells the story of our patient who has gone through her journey with Gaucher disease (has experienced firsthand evolution of various therapies for Gaucher disease). She has received treatment with Ceredase, Cerezyme and is now on Cerdelga (oral substrate reduction therapy), working as a nurse and doing two jobs. as professionals. Other patients and families also appreciate the common themes of courage and resilience which inspire them on their own journey.
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Identify the role of patient stories in understanding the lived experience of the specific genetic and metabolic disorder
Target Audience: Clinical Geneticists, Laboratory Geneticists, Genetic Counsellors, Trainees, Molecular Pathologists, Medical Lab Technologists, Dietitians, Nurses, Social workers, Metabolic geneticists
CanMEDS Roles: Medical Expert (the integrating role), Communicator, Collaborator, Health Advocate, Leader, Professional, Scholar
Dr. Chitra Prasad is a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics, Western University. She has been instrumental in the creation of multidisciplinary metabolic clinic at London Health Sciences Centre since 2003 and a Centre of Excellence for the management of metabolic and lysosomal storage disorders and a neurometabolic clinic at London Health Sciences Centre. She is also the Director of Newborn Screening since 2006. She did her clinical and biochemical genetics fellowship at the Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School Boston USA. She is board certified by American College of Medical Genetics and the Canadian College of Medical Genetics). She has been the past president of Garrod Association (of inborn errors of metabolism) in Canada. She has published > 150 peer reviewed publications. She is a national and international speaker in the field of metabolic disorders. Her clinical interests include dysmorphology, and inborn errors of metabolism.
Event Timeslots (1)
Afternoon
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Speaker: Dr. Chitra Prasad
