Dispatches · Issue 16 · Newsletter ·
The Existential Dispatch, Issue No. 16
Every clinical environment has its “default setting”: a set of routines that keep things moving. Thinker of the issue: Erich Fromm.
A Word from the Founding Director
Every clinical environment has its “default setting”: a set of routines that keep things moving. The existential question is what gets lost inside that motion.
This week’s Dispatch stays close to three themes: (1) the safety of those who care (because care cannot be delivered under threat), (2) equity in access (because suffering should not be stratified by postcode or passport), and (3) grief in public life (because what cannot be spoken often becomes what cannot be shared).
Existential Thinker of the Issue
Erich Fromm
“Love is not something natural. Rather it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and the overcoming of narcissism.” — Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving
Why it matters clinically: Fromm’s line helps reframe “support” as a practice rather than a personality trait. In serious-illness care, psycho-oncology, and end-of-life contexts, love often looks like steadiness: showing up again, listening without rushing, staying oriented to the other person’s reality, and tolerating uncertainty without taking over. It is also an ethical reminder for teams: compassion is sustained by structure (time, training, and recovery), not just goodwill.
In Academia
Carrying Existence Forward: Experiential-Existential Psychotherapy (University Professors Press, June 30, 2026)
A new clinical text proposing an experiential–existential framework grounded in “existential empathy” and applied case work across mortality, freedom, isolation, identity, and meaning. universityprofessorspress.com
In Film, Literature and Culture
Grief Fest™: a new international film festival devoted to stories of loss and healing (GlobeNewswire, July 28, 2026)
A cultural signal worth noting: Grief Fest reports 500+ submissions and launches a free “Grief Fest Film Index” cataloging films on bereavement; festival streaming windows are planned for late Nov 2026 and late Dec 2026–early Jan 2027. globenewswire.com
In Healthcare (Global)
WHO Director-General remarks: violence and mistrust continue to threaten health work (WHO, July 2, 2026)
In remarks following an attack on an Ebola treatment centre in Ituri province, WHO’s Director-General underscored how violence endangers patients and health workers and undermines outbreak control. who.int
Funding and Grant Opportunities
CIHR Project Grant Program — Fall 2026 competition
Registration deadline: August 12, 2026 (20:00 ET)
Application deadline: September 9, 2026 (20:00 ET) cihr-irsc.gc.ca
NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (FY2027)
Application due date: August 17, 2026 commonfund.nih.gov
Conferences and Events
IPOS 2026 — 27th World Congress of the International Psycho-Oncology Society
Abstract deadline reminder (per OncoDaily): July 31, 2026 oncodaily.com
Startup and Innovation Watch
Bunkerhill Health raises $55M to put AI agents to work inside hospitals (Fortune, July 16, 2026)
A major raise in the “AI inside hospitals” category — a useful moment to keep asking existential design questions about agency, accountability, and what kinds of clinical relationships we are automating. fortune.com
To Close: An Existential Joke
I told my existential anxiety I wanted “closure.” It said, “Best I can do is a slightly better question.”