Contemplations on Care: Empathy in action
The Contemplative Studies Centre recently presented the Contemplations on Care series featuring three events offering a rich exploration of empathy’s role in fostering care, justice, and equity for a more compassionate society.
The series brought together leaders, scholars and students in law, medicine, arts, social sciences and education; contemplative studies practitioners; and community stakeholders to explore how contemplative practices and interdisciplinary dialogue can reshape the ways we approach care and compassion in our communities.
A platform for conversations and applications of empathy across disciplines
Opening the series was a public event and conversation moderated by ABC Radio’s Natasha Mitchell with international guest, Professor Emerita Rhonda V. Magee, founding Director of the Center for Contemplative Law and Ethics at the University of San Francisco and specialist in mindfulness-based stress reduction for professionals, alongside medical doctor and writer, Dr Mariam Tokhi. Together, they illustrated the transformative power of empathy in tackling social justice and health inequities. They explored how mindfulness practices can help overcome biases and promote inclusivity, and how narrative medicine—using the power of storytelling—can improve healthcare by fostering deeper connections between practitioners and patients. The event concluded with a short guided meditation, offering attendees a moment to reflect on the conversation.
On the second day we delved into a more academic setting with an interdisciplinary roundtable hosted by Insight Fellow, Associate Professor Ana Eclair and Dr Julieta Galante. Joined by six University of Melbourne academics, and Professor Emerita Rhonda V. Magee, the participants discussed empathy’s potential to drive transformation in education. With empathy as a shared lens, the panellists and audience unpacked complex intersections between care, inequity, and social justice, encouraging attendees to reconsider how these themes apply within their own disciplines and professional contexts.
The series closed with an interactive workshop led by Dr Mariam Tokhi and Dr Katie Moore, focusing on the practical applications of storytelling, listening, and narrative medicine for wellbeing. Graduate researchers and early career academics explored the ways in which storytelling can serve as a therapeutic and creative outlet, enhancing both personal and professional wellbeing. Participants learned how educators are using the arts in health spaces with the goal of improving communication and care, leaving them inspired to integrate these approaches into their work.
A continued commitment to care
The series provided a platform for dynamic conversations and practical applications of empathy across multiple disciplines. From personal mindfulness practices to systemic changes in healthcare and education, the series highlighted empathy’s power to transform not just how we care for others, but how we understand and address the broader structures of inequity in society.
As the Centre continues its work, these insights on empathy, care, and compassion will remain central to its mission, inspiring future engagement, research, education and collaborations.
The Contemplations on Care series was presented by the Contemplative Studies Centre and supported by the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.