​This is truly an honor, as members of the GHHS are chosen because they exemplify the humanistic approach to patient care and can serve as role models for others. Their election means they are seen as the kind of physician their colleagues would choose as their own.

Current members of the Gold Humanism Honor Society are continuing a Patient Advocacy program coordinated with the Volunteer Services program at UCSD's University Hospital. The goal of this volunteer program is to provide UCSD Hillcrest patients with companionship, emotional support, and sometimes foreign language translation service. The Gold Humanism Society of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine conceived of this project to improve the patient experience and involve volunteers in the provision of humanistic medicine.

GHHS Solidarity Day

The first ever GHHS Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care was held just weeks after the tragic shootings in Tucson, ignited by the humanistic actions of Randall Friese, M.D., the University of Arizona trauma surgeon who was the first to treat Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Dr. Friese struck a chord when he said that the most important thing he did for her in the ER was to take her hand and tell her that she was in the hospital and would be cared for. GHHS rallied more than 40 medical schools and centers in the US and Canada to demonstrate-through a variety of activities-their support for Dr. Friese and their commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care.