I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. What better time to think about, and thank, the people who have made this year delightful, and meaningful, at HCP.
The last few months, we’ve begun interviewing health communication rockstars for “10 Minutes to Better Patient Communication.” I’m thankful to our guests for sharing their stories, opening their professional lives to us, and reflecting on their practice–so we can all learn from them. If you missed any, here they are!
Dr. Ann Ancona of Kent State University School of Nursing tells us about a specific communication challenge she faces as a provider and an educator: communication when the patient (or parent) is a medical professional.
Dr. Paul Ranelli from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy’s Duluth Campus tells us about one concept that helps him and his students get the most out of their time with patients–even if they only get a minute!
Dr. Jane Shaw, who leads the Veterinary Communication program at Colorado State University, tells us about end-of-life conversations.
Samantha Cinnick of the de Beaumont Foundation shares her experiences handling tricky team communication, in complex large-scale projects, as an early career public health professional.
I am grateful for Dr. Marita Murman and Mayela Arana for inviting me back to Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health again next week. I’ll present another webinar for the Region 2 Public Health Training Center. It’s the third in a 3-part series. If you missed the others, here’s Part 1 and Part 2:
#1 Building BRIDGES: Understanding our Position in Multi-Sector Communication
#2 Building BRIDGES to Communicate with Multi-Sector Partners
I’m also grateful to a few health communication friends who allowed me to mention them in articles this year.
Dr. Javeed Sukhera, President of the Ontario Psychiatric Association, allowed me to use his viral tweet about the stigma around the phrase “mental health” to ground some considerations about how common terminology can harbor hidden messages that about mental health.
I’m grateful to Leighton Norvell of Prisma Health Midlands for what she taught me about health communication and education around chronic disease.
I’m thankful to my clients, who are healthcare and digital health trailblazers. Supporting you in your remarkable, cutting edge projects is a true joy. I’m constantly humbled, and often awestruck, by the work you are doing in the world.
I am also entirely grateful to my behind-the-scenes support here at HCP: Joe, India, Scott, and John; Dave & Jon; and the Meems! I’m thankful for the long-standing love and dedication from my writing group, Betsy, Tasha & Dorene. I am thankful to my many friends who have supported me and HCP in various ways over the years. And a special thank you to my mentor, Dr. Susan Lytle, who with unfailing wisdom and guidance has tracked with me as I crossed from the education sector to the health sector. I could not do this without all of you, and our relationships are the engine of this work.
Ultimately, I am thankful for you. Without you, there would be no HCP.
You are the HCP community. You pass our newsletters around, you download our podcast by the tens of thousands, and you let me know what you’d like to see next around here. It’s your commitment to reflective practice, thoughtful and intentional use of language, and reducing health disparities that led me to this journey in the first place. You’re why I keep publishing, and writing, and speaking. Thank you for the work you do in the world.
