Interview with Alumnus Dr. Sean Pauzauskie, Founder of New Literature & Medicine Award

Dr. Sean Pauzauskie is a practicing neurologist with UCHealth in Colorado. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and its School of Medicine. As an undergraduate, he studied English. He is a regular participant in the department’s Value of English event series, which connects current students with English Department alumni, serving on the English and Medicine panel.

English Accents (EA): Why English? What made you choose the major?

Dr. Sean Pauzauskie (SP): For as long as I can remember I’ve loved language and the things stories can do, having written my first ones -- about fighting fantastic monsters on the playground with friends -- just before middle school. And by the time I got to college I knew I wanted to learn in an unrestricted arena, where you can really think or say anything. So English seemed a natural fit for me.

EA: How do you use the skills you learned as an English major in your career today?

SP: To start, the practice of medicine has a lot of narrative baked in. The first thing you do with a patient is take a history of their recent health and concerns, so as to construct a narrative that ultimately fits an intervenable pattern. “Allopathic” medicine means “other path”, and so in essence my chosen arena in healthcare, as a physician -- a word which means “teacher” -- is little more than someone who tries to alter someone’s path in their story. From sickness to health. Or from good to better health.

The other factor common in both pursuits is empathy. If you don’t have the empathy that you develop by osmosis as an English major, by caring about characters and imagining other perspectives, which you do all day, then your patient’s outcomes will be worse. Not to put things in a STEM context, but there’s pretty solid data on patients having better outcomes when they feel listened to, feel their physician had empathy for their concerns. And an education in English is the best way to develop these skills of constructing narrative and practicing empathy.

EA: Which English course or professor had the biggest impact on you?

SP: It was a team effort. In no particular order: Steven Jan Parker, David Bergeron, James Carothers, Katie Conrad, Mary Klayder, Ken Irby, and many others who I apologize for running out of room to name.

EA: What would you like to say to current and future students who are interested in both studying literature and pursuing a career in medicine?

SP: Believe it’s not only possible, but essential to what you’ll do as a healthcare professional. And the English education and practice doesn’t end when you enter your healthcare career. You’ll have a built in hobby or even second career to balance the high demands of medicine, whether that’s reading current fiction or whatever else you want for pleasure, writing healthcare non-fiction narratives or, again, whatever fiction you want, or simply using the communication skills you’ve developed in English to be a more unique individual amongst your professional peers.

The Sean Pauzauskie Literature and Medicine Award was established for the 2022-2023 academic year to provide financial support for students in the English Department who are considering a career in healthcare.

This year’s award winners were Nirali Patel and Fatima Asif.

Nirali Patel ‘24 is a research assistant in Dr. Kristy Allen’s FACT lab, where she examines generational anxiety in young girls. She also works as a medical assistant at Panda Pediatrics and at the Heartland Community Health Center. After graduation, she plans on attending medical school to pursue her goals of becoming a physician.

Fatima Asif ‘24 is a biochemistry and English major and Honors student. Some of her extracurriculars include volunteering in various non-profits and serving as an officer of A Club Against Cancer at KU.

For a full list of English Awards recipients for 2022-2023, visit english.ku.edu/awards.