Empathy and Cultural Humility in Global Service Experiential Learning

Aiysha Amjad and Jeffery Steele

While the Global Service Learning (GSL) program at the IU School of Dentistry (IUSD) has celebrated numerous successes, GSL leaders face the challenge of systematically measuring abstract trip outcomes. This study focuses on measuring one such outcome, empathy, by using a validated empathy scale. A survey was administered to IUSD alumni, and the responses were used to generate empathy scores, which were compared between alumni who participated in GSL trips and those who did not. As similar studies in other areas of medicine accumulate, it becomes increasingly clearer that empathy is one method to measure success of IUSD global experiences. Qualitative results were also collected, allowing for valuable insight into the impact of GSL trips. Both sets of data will additionally assist in setting future goals for this elective.

Group Members

A A

Aiysha Amjad

Major: Biology and Neuroscience
School of Dentistry

J S

Jeffery Steele

School of Dentistry