About CHAMP

The Chapman Humanities and Arts in Medicine Program (CHAMP) seeks to enhance the intellectual and emotional environment at the Florida State University College of Medicine through extracurricular arts and humanities programming. Program offerings encourage reflection on core human values in medicine that are essential to providing humane, empathetic, and ethical care. Additionally, CHAMP aims to educate students on the value of art and creativity as a catalyst for achieving healthier lifestyles for both patients and healthcare professionals. Engaging in the act of creating art, music, and literature teaches students to be self-reflective which in turn bolsters resilience, improves mental health, and lowers the risk of physician burnout.

Program Objectives

• provide students the opportunity to deploy the arts in support of community-wide health and wellbeing
• increase student sensitivity to and awareness of cultural, religious, socioeconomic, and ethnic diversity
• provide opportunities to further hone critical thinking and communication skills, while sharpening response, judgement, and evaluation skills
• assist students in analyzing and articulating personal experiences in clinical medicine through the discussion of various works of art, literature, and music
• provide students with an opportunity to practice creative writing and narrative skills; identify how writing aids in self-reflection, including ethical reflection and moral inquiry
• provide students with mechanisms for alleviating stress and learning how to reduce the risk of professional burnout

History

CHAMP is made possible through generous funding by  The Jules B. Chapman and Annie Lou Chapman Private Foundation.

Mrs. Annie Lou Chapman passed away at the age of 98 on February 13, 2013. A Florida native, born in Haines City and a longtime resident of Fort Myers, Mrs. Chapman is remembered for her unique and dedicated philanthropy. During World War II, Mrs. Chapman was a nurse in Miami at Jackson Memorial Hospital where she worked alongside Dr. Bascom Palmer in the pioneering days of cataract surgery. She later worked alongside her husband, distinguished war veteran and ophthalmologist, Dr. Jules B. Chapman.

During the last two decades of her life, Mrs. Chapman devoted her efforts to humanism in medicine in order to promote care and understanding in the doctor-patient relationship. Disappointed with the way doctors treated her husband when he was ill, Mrs. Chapman established a trust to fund humanism-focused projects to ensure new doctors treat their patients with dignity and compassion. The Jules B. Chapman and Annie Lou Chapman Private Foundation currently funds several scholarships and programs at The University of Florida College of Medicine, The Florida State University College of Medicine, and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.