Faustino Bernadett’s Support for Medical Humanities: Continuing to Make a Difference

Paris Dastjerdi

Faustino Bernadett has been a steady advocate for integrating the humanities into medical education. He believes that studying medicine’s history, ethical foundations, and cultural influences plays an important role in developing well-rounded physicians. Through his involvement, students have been able to pursue projects that connect humanistic inquiry with clinical training. The work of Paris Dastjerdi, a medical student at McGill University, reflects how this kind of support can inspire meaningful academic exploration.

Paris received the AOS Molina Travel Award, established in 2023 through an agreement between Dr. Mario Molina and the American Osler Society. Separately, Faustino “Tino” Bernadett, Dr. Molina’s brother-in-law, co-founded The Molina Foundation in 2004 with his wife, Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett, and serves as its Vice President. Both organizations, and members of the Molina and Bernadett families, are widely recognized for their philanthropic contributions and their association with the American Osler Society. The award enabled her to conduct research at the Osler Library of the History of Medicine at McGill University, home to rare manuscripts and letters documenting centuries of medical history. During her research, Paris uncovered lesser-known correspondence from William Osler describing his efforts to raise funds for the restoration of Avicenna’s tomb—the Persian scholar known for The Canon of Medicine.

Her findings showed how Osler’s admiration for Avicenna reflected a broader view of medicine—one that connects physicians across time and place through a shared respect for knowledge and tradition. This work illustrates how studying history can add depth to contemporary medical practice by fostering greater awareness of the profession’s roots and values. Paris later presented her research at the American Osler Society meeting in Pasadena, where she received first prize for her presentation, reflecting both her scholarship and the opportunity the award provided.

Paris’s involvement in medical humanities extends beyond archival research. She served as Co-President of the Osler Society at McGill for the 2024 Osler Banquet, helping organize events that highlighted medical history and humanism while engaging fellow students in discussion. She also examined the early history of psychiatry at McGill in her essay, The Origins of McGill’s Department of Psychiatry and Its Legacy of Division from Neurology. In this work, she explored how psychiatry developed during the Department’s early years, including the period before Donald Ewen Cameron joined, and how differing perspectives influenced its direction. Gustavo Turecki, Dean of Psychiatry at McGill, acknowledged the essay as a meaningful contribution to understanding the Department’s history.

These accomplishments reflect Dr. Bernadett’s broader commitment to supporting scholarships in the medical humanities. In 2024, the American Osler Society established The Bernadett Family International Medical Student Scholarship Program in recognition of his generosity. The scholarship supports medical students conducting research in the United Kingdom, offering opportunities to study medicine’s history, ethics, and cultural context while connecting past insights to present-day practice.

Administered through the American Osler Society, the Bernadett Family Scholarship demonstrates Tino Bernadett’s sustained interest in historical scholarship within medicine. Through his leadership at The Molina Foundation, philanthropic resources continue to support educational initiatives that provide students with opportunities for research and professional development.

Stories like Paris’s show how travel awards, academic societies, and mentorship can help emerging physicians engage with the humanistic dimensions of medicine. By encouraging international scholarship and collaboration, Tino continues to contribute in meaningful ways to medical education and the field of medical humanities. His work underscores the idea that understanding the history of medicine is not only about preserving the past, but also about informing the future of the profession.