Cheryl A. Maurana, PhD, MCW Eminent Scholar, Senior Vice President for Strategic Academic Partnerships, Professor, Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Founding Director, Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine
Bridging is a facilitative process that advances flourishing by providing a framework for engagement across groups and individuals with different views on topics. At its core, bridging aims to increase understanding and find common ground, which can be a foundation for creating value.
So, how might we accomplish bridging? The first step is through genuine dialogue and interest in others’ perspectives. There are often two extreme reactions when people are faced with division and disagreement. One is simply “going along to get along”. The other is labeling or dismissing others who disagree with our views. Intentional dialogue toward common ground encourages us to avoid those extremes and ask ourselves questions such as:
This dialogue is most effective when certain habits are in place, including:
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1. Adapted from Courageous Dialogue Toolkit by Barbara Whitlock and Karen E. Bohlin with Deborah Farmer Kris and Gabrielle Landry https://bbk12e1-cdn.myschoolcdn.com/ftpimages/465/misc/misc_244215.pdf
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Today, the KNN is uniquely positioned to lead the effort to develop an approach to bridging and create ways to strengthen bridging practices, such as by developing, testing and disseminating bridging tools. With the KNN’s framework for flourishing for caring, character, practical wisdom and flourishing as a foundation, we can begin to work across medicine to support bridging at a national level in medical and other health professions education and in the profession itself.
Our goal is to increase understanding in medical and other health professions education as well as healthcare and find common ground; a foundation for creating value. Through this initiative, the KNN will support viewpoint diversity, building a culture strengthened by differences and connected by trust.