Welcome to Eudaimonia, a medical humanities journal created to promote critical reflection, creative expression, and healing amongst those who live and work within the world of medicine. Our journal takes its name from the Greek term eudaimonia – often translated to “human flourishing” or “living well.” Derived from Aristotelian ethics, eudaimonia goes beyond fleeting happiness (which it is sometimes mistranslated to mean) or the mere absence of disease; it refers to the pursuit of living a life of purpose and virtue.

Along these lines, Eudaimonia seeks to explore the full human experience of medicine: to capture both the beauty of healing others, as well as the difficulty of bearing witness to immense loss and suffering. Amidst these complexities, we imagine Eudaimonia as a creative space for reflection, connection, and, ultimately, flourishing.

The pieces in this collection embody this vision, traversing a wide spectrum of emotions and experiences in medicine. A student recalls her larger-than-life patient, who jokes her diagnosis is “CRS—Can’t Remember Shit”; a young woman reflects on the nature of memory after her father forgets her face; a bedridden girl with cerebral palsy faces increasing alienation; and a medical student recounts her team’s humorous banter during rounds. These are just a few of the written pieces held within these next pages, punctuated by beautiful artwork.

We hope you enjoy this collection of creative work as much as we did.

Warmly,

Daria Hoang
Dana Alshekhlee