Pursuing Excellence in Health Care: Using Fourth-Century Wisdom to Transform Modern Medicine

Despite growing interest in addressing health disparities in the US and around the world, excellence in US health care is largely defined by research dollars, innovation, and perceived prestige. This essay reimagines "excellence" in health care by exploring two different models that center care for the poor and vulnerable: the ancient example of the first hospital, founded by St. Basil of Caesarea in the fourth century, and the contemporary witness of Paul Farmer's liberation theology-inspired work of accompaniment. This renewed vision invites both social and personal transformation, offering health-care institutions and practitioners new ways of naming and pursuing excellence in academic medicine and surgery.