Values-driven Medical Training

In the latest Art of Dying Well podcast, we explore Professor Sonia Kumar, the founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St. Mary’s new School of Medicine’s vision for medical education – one that places human values, compassion, and spirituality at its core.

Drawing from her two decades of experience as a GP in South London, Professor Kumar says that while technical expertise is very important, it is the human elements of medicine that often make the biggest difference in patient care. “As doctors, we occupy this incredibly privileged space,” she reflects. “We’re not just treating symptoms – we’re supporting people through some of their most vulnerable moments.”

This understanding has shaped her approach to medical education at St. Mary’s, where students will learn not just the science of medicine, but the art of human connection. The school’s innovative curriculum, launching in 2026, will integrate creative arts, music therapy, and spiritual care alongside traditional medical training.

“We need doctors who are technically excellent, but also deeply compassionate,” Professor Kumar explains. She shares a powerful story of a grieving father who came to her after losing his teenage son to violence. Rather than rushing to clinical solutions, she simply sat with him in silence as they recited the Lord’s Prayer together – a profound reminder that sometimes, the most healing thing we can offer is our presence.

The new school of medicine’s approach is captured in their CARE acronym: Compassion (to self and others), Ambition, Readiness, and Excellence. Students will receive weekly reflective spaces to process their experiences and develop emotional resilience. They will train in diverse settings, from hospices to music therapy centres, learning to engage with patients’ spiritual and emotional needs alongside their physical ones.

“Death isn’t a failure of medicine,”Professor Kumar says, challenging the traditional medical model. “At the right time, it’s the right outcome for the right patient.”  Future doctors will learn how to be alongside the dying and the families in their training.

The school’s commitment to social purpose is equally transformative. Students will be selected not just for academic excellence, but for their demonstrated commitment to serving the most vulnerable populations. They will learn to use digital technology compassionately and critically, ensuring that advances in medical technology enhance, rather than replace human connection.

As our healthcare system faces critical challenges, Professor Kumar’s vision offers hope for a future where medicine remembers its human heart. “In ten years,” she says, “I hope we’ll have shifted the dial in medical education – showing that values, spirituality, and service aren’t just ‘soft’ skills, but essential foundations for excellent medical care.”

Through this innovative approach, St. Mary’s School of Medicine isn’t just training doctors – it is developing healers who understand that the best medicine combines scientific excellence with human compassion.