“We’ll see you and Katie on Monday. Take it easy this weekend,” the vet tech says on the other end of the phone. “Thanks,” I say, and my voice can’t escape cracking, and I hang up the phone and cry. It’s Saturday. The Monday appointment will likely have only one outcome. I am standing at […]
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Upgrade your patient education. Fast. Here. Now.
Partners, I’m proud to announce – the Effective Patient Education Audiobook Bundle This bundle will make your life easier. And it might change the way you think about patient education. You see many patients in a day and have a high level of complexity to deal with. You want patients to trust you, hear […]
Why addressing unconscious bias can make people nervous
Last week I was in Baltimore, at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare/Health Literacy Annual Research Conference. Every one of the keynote addresses discussed biases and stereotypes. Every one. (Biases and stereotypes was not the conference theme.) The importance of examining and addressing unconscious biases seems to be well understood in the research community. […]
Health communication workshops customized for your organization
It’s the time of year when organizations are looking ahead into education, events, and professional development for their schedule. I can help you with that. I’ve just finished delivering a webinar at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health on multi-sector communication. I’m already deep into creating a 90-minute workshop, a half-day course, and another webinar. […]
Webinar follow-up: Building BRIDGES in multi-sector communication Part 1
Earlier this week, I gave a a free live webinar on communication in multi-sector collaborations, in conjunction with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and the Region 2 Public Health Training Center. It was called “Building BRIDGES: Understanding our Position in Multi-Sector Communication.” What do I mean by Building BRIDGES? BRIDGES is a working metaphor, and much more. BRIDGES is […]
Introducing: the Building BRIDGES approach
About two weeks ago, I was talking to a former colleague of mine in higher ed about my podcast series, 10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication. Knowing my background is not in healthcare, he asked, with some surprise, “You have 45 episodes? On different topics?” “Yes,” I said proudly. “New one every 2 weeks.” The […]
Free webinar: Communication in multi-sector collaborations via Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Hello friends, I’m proud to offer a free live webinar on communication in multi-sector collaborations, in conjunction with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and the Region 2 Public Health Training Center. “Building BRIDGES: Understanding our Position in Multi-Sector Communication.” Tuesday, June 4, 2019 12pm EST Click here to register! This webinar is […]
How common terminology may perpetuate mental health stigma
A few weeks ago, I read a tweet from Dr. Javeed Sukhera about terminology and mental health. The tweet had ‘gone viral,’ and it’s stayed in my mind since then. Next time someone says "mental health" what if we took out "mental" and just said "health?" "I need time off for my health." "I need […]
4 ways to help resist a deficit perspective
Deficit perspectives are sneaky. Maybe the better word is ‘insidious.’ They can worm their way quietly into our work. And when there, they do real damage. Maybe you’ve heard the term. If not, it’s a tendency to maintain a focus on negative instances, examples, or qualities. Like seeing patients as passive recipients. Or centering on what […]
