The Who Am I Project
Because every patient has a story worth knowing.
The Who Am I Project is a physician-founded nonprofit that partners with long-term care communities and healthcare organizations to preserve the life stories, identities, and relationships of the people in their care — and bring those stories into the care conversation.
The stories that make us who we are belong in the rooms where we are cared for.
Our mission
To preserve stories.
To honor the person.
A patient's medical chart documents their health — but rarely captures the experiences, relationships, and memories that make them who they are.
The Who Am I Project works alongside organizations to change that. Through partnerships with long-term care communities, healthcare systems, and community organizations, we help connect residents and patients with the project — supporting meaningful conversations that preserve each person's story and bring it into their care.
Each story is shaped into a concise, individual document that becomes part of the person's healthcare record — giving care teams a more complete understanding of the human being behind the diagnosis.
How it works
From resident interviews to personalized medical records.
Participating long-term care and community organizations connect people with The Who Am I Project. A volunteer listener meets with each person for a guided conversation, which becomes a written life-story document. Through thoughtful, guided conversations, we invite residents to reflect on their favorite memories, the people and experiences that have shaped their lives, and what matters most to them. We transform these personal stories into concise, individualized documents that preserve each resident’s identity and, with appropriate approval, become part of their healthcare record. Over time, the project aims for these stories to help healthcare providers see and know each person beyond their diagnoses.
1. A conversation begins
Through a participating organization, a volunteer listener or project team member holds an open, unhurried conversation with a patient or resident about the life, relationships, memories, values, and experiences that matter to them.
2. The story is written
The volunteer listener or project team member then turns the recorded conversation into a concise written life-story document that reflects who the person is beyond their diagnosis or care setting.
3. The story becomes part of the medical record
When a partner organization's systems, policies, and permissions allow, the written story can be included with the person's medical records to help inform their care. This is not guaranteed for every partner or participant.
4. Care can begin with knowing the person
The long-term vision is that healthcare provider can open a person's file and encounter not only diagnoses, but also their identity, memories, relationships, values, and the things that bring them happiness.
The whole person
More than a diagnosis.
A life fully lived.
The Who Am I Project honors the whole person behind the chart. By preserving individual stories alongside organizational partners, we help healthcare providers, community caregivers, and care teams understand patients as real people — with values, relationships, and experiences that matter to their care.
Narratives are shared with care teams through the organizations we work with — deepening the human understanding that improves communication, empathy, and personalized support at every encounter.
Ways to partner.
How stories reach us
Individuals and families do not sign up directly. Stories reach The Who Am I Project through participating healthcare, long-term care, and community organizations, which connect people with the project.
Students & Volunteers
Support the project by helping facilitate meaningful conversations and contribute to stories that make a real difference. Volunteer opportunities are open to high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and community members who share a commitment to person-centered care.
Healthcare & Community Organizations
Partner with us to bring narrative medicine to the people in your care. Healthcare systems, long-term care communities, and community organizations can connect residents and patients with the project — helping individual stories become a meaningful part of the care they receive.
Sponsors & Supporters
Your support helps expand access to narrative medicine, sustain meaningful partnerships, and ensure that more stories are preserved with the dignity they deserve. Every contribution advances the mission.