How do women find their voice when their health stories are met with silence, skepticism, or stigma? In this deeply personal and powerful episode, Dr. Emily Cripe of Kutztown University joins host Dr. Lynn Harter to explore how women transform private pain into public advocacy. Through raw storytelling and thoughtful reflection, Cripe shares her own experiences navigating uncertain medical diagnoses and misunderstood health conditions. Together, Cripe and Harter examine the communication challenges faced by women in medical contexts—from cesarean births to adult diagnoses of ADHD. You can read articles featured in this episode in the journal Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2331999 https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2017.1298953

How do we give voice to complex stories that defy words and the conventions of language? These stories, often of trauma or other profound lived experiences, reside not just in our heads and hearts, but in every cell in our body. Embodied stories are layered, complex, and often chaotic. They vie for expression but lack a means or a format to accommodate them. In this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Marie Thompson, Professor of Communication at Wright State University, joins host Dr. Joe Bianco to share her pioneering work on narrative mapping. Narrative mapping is a form of visual storytelling born within a carefully cultivated relational setting. Through deep listening and guided questions, Marie creates space for participants to visually map their emerging stories, creating layered representations of their innermost experiences. You can read Marie’s articles published in Health Communication at: · https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2414471 · https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1733228 You can see “Cracked but Never Broken,” Megan Westerfeld’s narrative map referenced in the episode, here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cracked-never-broken-barbara-geralds-institute-for-stor-bovzc

As medicine heeds the call of patient-centered care, it is easy to overlook the other person in the clinic room. Physicians, like patients, have stories. Within the everyday demands of clinical practice, however, their stories are seldom invited and remain untold. In this episode of Defining Moments, medical students Libby Hill and Sumedha Kappagantula join host Dr. Joe Bianco to share their experiences as Executive Producers of Behind the White Coat, an annual storytelling event at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Founded in 2019 by medical students, Behind the White Coat invites students, physicians, medical educators, and staff to reveal their defining moments on the path toward medicine. The conversation invites us to reimagine the white coat as a blank page, ready to receive and reveal our innermost stories. You can learn more about Behind the White Coat and view story archives from previous years here: https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/behind-white-coat. To learn more about the Open Book Project referenced in this episode, listen to Lynn Harter’s conversation with Dr. Tracy Shaub: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-moments-podcast-conversations-about-health/id1456643447?i=1000445540298 and read the accompanying Health Communication article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1551302

How do citizens pursue freedom and fellowship through protest and advocacy? Dr. Shelley Rawlins of Utah Tech University joins co-host Dr. Lynn Harter and reflects on matters of risk and possibility among activists. They explore the vicarious trauma and physical and emotional burnout among individuals as they pursue hopeful futures amid felt despair. 

Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children in the U.S. Even so, only four percent of that National Cancer Institute’s budget focuses on childhood cancers. These are more than abstract statistics for this episode’s guests Angela Dina and Michelle Payne. Angela and Michelle are founders of Turn it Gold, a non-profit that elevates awareness about childhood cancer and survivorship. Angela and Michelle join co-host Dr. Lynn Harter to reflect on the origin of the organization, the role of faith in their healing journeys, and the importance of athletic activism in shifting the landscape of childhood cancer care. You can read an article about Turn it Gold in the journal Health Communication at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2019.1651624 You can watch a trailer for the PBS documentary Realistically Ever After: A Turn it Gold Movement at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXgsV5Tjn5o 

Dr. Ally Hughes, Assistant Professor of Primary Care at Ohio University, joins co-host Dr. Joe Bianco to recount her journey from being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age seven to a career as a diabetes and disabilities researcher, educator, and advocate. The conversation reveals that there is more to diabetes than shame, stigma, and medical trauma. Ally sheds light on innovative medical advances and finds hope in social and online networks dedicated to improving the lives of persons with diabetes. You can read Ally’s article in Health Communication here: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2375145

Elena Semino, Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University, joins host Dr. Joe Bianco to discuss the subtle and surprising ways that language and humor shape health experiences. Dr. Semino uses large, naturally occurring language datasets to identify imaginative alternatives to overused battle analogies in cancer and other chronic illnesses. The conversation reveals that the key to reframing our most challenging problems may be just a metaphor away. You can read Elena’s articles published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1844989 and https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2257428. Her metaphor menu for people with cancer is here: https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/melc/the-metaphor-menu

Over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other associated dementias amid a shortage of health professionals trained to care for aging adults. Drs. Anne Kerber and Kristi Oeding of Minnesota State University Mankato join co-host Dr. Lynn Harter and introduce artful place-making as an innovative approach to organizing and teaching care for people with dementias. They explore the multi-sensory and therapeutic potentials of gardening and how artful place-making can unsettle dominant narratives of aging and disability that over-emphasize deficits. You can read an article about this project in the journal Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2433288

Dr. Jay Baglia, Professor of Health Communication at DePaul University, joins co-host Dr. Joe Bianco to recount his journey toward cancer survivorship. Reflecting on the implanted port that delivered life-saving toxins to his body, Jay exposes the complexities and contradictions of navigating cancer care. The conversation offers a hopeful perspective on preserving and redefining our humanity amid technologically driven medical care. You can read Jay’s Health Communication articles here: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2093554 and https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1813393

Dr. Olivia McAnirlin, Co-Director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson University, joins co-host Dr. Lynn Harter to reflect on her use of 360-degree virtual reality storytelling in working with patients and families who cannot revisit memorable places in nature.  Olivia developed the concept of TandemVRTM to regift nature and recreation experiences for people facing precarious circumstances including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Immersive storytelling is uniquely equipped to transport participants to cherished outdoor places, a process with therapeutic potential for both patients and loved ones. You can read Olivia’s article in the journal Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2329423

Embedded within Ohio University but with footprints in Southeastern Appalachian Ohio, the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact creates, shares, and studies storytelling in its many shapes and forms. The institute amplifies voices previously unheard or dismissed and disrupts inherited narratives that limit human potential. Hosts Lynn Harter and Joe Bianco alongside guest Megan Westervelt situate Defining Moments Podcast in the broader portfolio of the institute. Together, they reflect on their work weaving more just and joyful communities one story at a time.   You can read an article about Defining Moments Podcast in the journal Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2326266

Each year, thousands of premature and vulnerable infants receive the life-sustaining gift of donor breast milk. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Sarah Jones shares how her discovery of human milk banks catalyzed a surprising personal and scholarly journey that continues to this day. Dr. Jones is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Communication in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. You can read Dr. Jones’ article published in Health Communication at https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1941644

When patient safety scholar Dr. Annegret Hannawa suffers a massive stroke at age 39, her life becomes a case study from her own books. Her journey toward recovery is as surprising as the stroke itself, taking her from the despair of hospital rehabilitation units to joining helicopter rescue missions in the Swiss Alps. On this episode of Defining Moments podcast, Hannawa reflects on stroke recovery and the profound healing capacity of simple acts of communication. Dr. Hannawa is an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences at the University of Lugano. She is also the Founding Director of the Center for the Advancement of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety. You can read Dr. Hannawa’s Defining Moments article in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1994254

Patty Mitchell, Susan Dlouhy, and Tad Semsel of Passion Works Studio join co-host Dr. Lynn Harter to explore the healing potentials of collaborative art and cottage industry employment. The mission of the studio is to inspire and liberate the human spirit through the arts. In living out this mission, the studio has revolutionized societal perceptions of developmental differences, fostered more inclusive communities, and created employment opportunities through a cottage industry model. You can read their article in Health Communication here: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2037863

Asha Winfield, Assistant Professor in the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, joins guest host Dr. Jill Yamasaki to explore her journey as a Black woman scholar with uterine fibroids. Asha gets personal as she reflects on silences in Black families, the myth of the Strong Black Woman, and the importance of representation for envisioning otherwise. She calls for loud healing in scholarship, healthcare, and communities to diversify how we care for and write about Black women and other minoritized individuals with health disparities. You can read the article by Asha Winfield in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1818959 You can view Asha’s upcoming documentary on Black experiences with COVID-19 at: https://www.productionsbyasha.com/date

Tiandra Finch, Founder and CEO of Spirit Over Flesh, joins co-hosts Dr. Lynn Harter and Dr. Joe Bianco to explore her journey to heal through words. Spirit Over Flesh prioritizes and supports black women on their wellness journeys. Tiandra gets personal as she reflects on health inequities connected to race, systemic biases amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of storytelling and narrative medicine in imagining healthier futures. You can read the article by Tiandra Finch in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1818959

As we enter year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, cases are starting to decline in the U.S. For front-line health care professionals, this is a welcome reprieve from the back-to-back surges caused by Delta and Omicron variants. For the public health workforce, however, there is no respite from the pandemic’s demands; the pace of their work is as relentless between surges as during. In this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Gillian Ice joins co-host Dr. Joe Bianco to talk about her experiences overseeing Ohio University’s COVID Operations team. She reflects on the emotional toll of the pandemic on public health workers and shares a hopeful vision for how public health systems can help communities navigate post-pandemic life. Dr. Ice is Special Assistant to the President for Public Health Operations and a Professor of Social Medicine at Ohio University.

Hylie Voss, President of Sugar Bush Foundation Board of Directors, joins co-host Dr. Lynn Harter to explore campus and community partnerships that seek to improve quality of life in Southeastern Appalachian Ohio. Voss highlights projects supporting local agricultural systems and housing security, both of which reveal how the environment and human health are connected.

When 22-year old Spencer Smith sustained a severe traumatic brain injury, physicians predicted he would spend the rest of his life in a nursing home—if he survived at all. In the eight years since his injury, Spencer has earned two master’s degrees, authored nine peer reviewed publications, and is close to completing a doctoral degree in Education at Ohio State University. Along the way, he and his family cofounded Smith Brain Connections, Inc., a nonprofit dedicating to increasing traumatic brain injury education and training for medical professionals. On this episode of the Defining Moments podcast, co-host Joe Bianco talks to the Smith family and rehabilitation physician Dr. Sheital Bavishi about Spencer’s long journey from injury to recovery and his experiences navigating daily life as a traumatic brain injury survivor. You can read Spencer’s story published in Health Communication at https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1909246 To learn more about traumatic brain injury and Smith Brain Connections, go to https://smithbrainconnections.com/

How does storytelling foster resilience amidst inescapable suffering, trauma, and vulnerability? In this episode, new co-host and co-producer Dr. Joe Bianco joins Dr. Lynn Harter to explore this question and kick-off Season 3 of the Defining Moments Podcast. Listen as two narrative enthusiasts share the role that storytelling plays in their personal and professional lives and enjoy a preview of some of the speakers and topics slated for Season 3. Lynn is a Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. Joe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Together, they form the leadership team of the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact. You can read the article by Dr. Harter in Health Communication that launched the Defining Moments Series at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410230903242440 You can read a Defining Moments essay by Dr. Joe Bianco also published in Health Communication at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2010.550023 Finally, you can read an article on Storytelling and Podcasting from Dr. Harter here : https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1517549