Theatre artist, educator, and Simulated Patient pedagogy leader Kevin Hobbs chats with Narrative Mindworks for a rich exploration of how performance, story, and relational work strengthen the education of future clinicians.
Drawing from his work in Playbuilding, health advocacy, and simulated patient programs, Hobbs shows how the arts create space for agency, emotional safety, and deeper learning in medical education. He highlights the ways narrative practice and narrative medicine help students reflect more honestly, connect more fully, and understand patients as people rather than cases. Hobbs also emphasizes the cognitive sophistication of SP work and the need to legitimize arts-based approaches as essential tools for person-centered care.