Prof. Tessa Kerre investigates the effect of reading aloud on the well-being of cancer patients, because ‘there’s more than giving pills’

In a pilot project at UZ Gent, CRIG group leader prof. Tessa Kerre researches the effect of reading aloud on the life quality of patients, in close collaboration with ‘het Lezerscollectief’ (readers’ collective) and ‘het Poëziecentrum’ (poetry centre) of Ghent. During six months, twenty medical students read stories to cancer patients in one-to-one sessions. Both students as patients keep a diary about the sessions, to allow evaluation of the project. The project just started, but it is already clear that these reading aloud sessions influence the students by increasing their empathy towards patients.

Read the full article (in Dutch) here.