Going to the hospital can be tough for overwhelmed patients, worried visitors, and even for staff who have gone above and beyond each day during this stressful year. But imagine that as you entered the main lobby, you heard someone cheerfully strumming “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story on a ukulele — totally changes the mood, right? At Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, volunteer Christian Hopkins has aimed to brighten people’s days and make the hospital feel peaceful and welcoming by filling the halls with music.
Hopkins is a University of Pennsylvania grad and a biomedical research assistant studying regenerative medicine and wound healing who plans to continue his studies next year as a MD/PhD candidate. A longtime singer who participated the Penn Glee Club and a Disney a cappella group, Hopkins was excited to find a way to combine his medical and musical interests through community service. In 2018, he taught himself to play the ukulele and started serenading patients at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, later sharing his talents with the PPMC community. When PPMC started welcoming back volunteers in July after a pandemic pause, Hopkins was one of the first to enthusiastically return.
Every Thursday and Friday morning, he can be found in the lobby, waiting areas, or Abramson Cancer Center running through his set list of jazz standards and Disney tunes like “Fly Me to the Moon” and “A Whole New World.” COVID-19 has forced him to take a temporary break from singing — “It’s actually really tough in a mask!” he said — but he is hopeful that soon enough, he’ll be able to give vocal performances and safely visit patients who could really benefit from a calming song. For now, though, his engrossed audiences have thoroughly enjoyed his instrumentals. In fact, Hopkins has become such a hospital celebrity that Volunteer Services coordinator Evan Loundas often has to field questions about his whereabouts on the days he isn’t volunteering.
“People have been really sweet, and they make me wish that I could come back every day! I’m always so surprised and grateful when they thank me,” Hopkins said. “This experience has helped me gain a better understanding of patients’ and visitors’ vulnerability as they come into the hospital, and I really appreciate being able to soothe their anxieties through music. My volunteer work has also enhanced my passion for getting into this field.”