How do you reframe a terminal disease as a life-limiting experience? In this episode of Defining Moments, guest host Dr. Erika Kirby speaks with Dr. Chad McBride and Dr. Kathy Miller on how they’ve been co-narrating Chad’s life in the wake of his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In raw and honest form, Chad reflects on the diagnosis and its impact. Together, Chad and Kathy describe their joint efforts of legacy leaving and memoir writing. Beyond clarifying these narrative endeavors, Chad and Kathy challenge listeners to cherish relationships lost and found. Dr. McBride and Dr. Kirby are Professors in the Department of Communication Studies at Creighton University. Dr. Miller is a retired academician who now writes fiction and nonfiction professionally. You can read more about Dr. McBride’s ALS experiences in Psychology Today at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/medical-humanities-mamas/202008/experiencing-the-unimaginable-dying-and-leaving-your-child

Defining Moments Podcast: Conversations about Health and Healing

Legacy Leaving and Memoir Writing: Narrating the Life-Limiting Experience of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Childbirth is a biological and cultural experience. Birthing practices and women’s experiences of childbirth are shaped by ever-shifting medical practices and societal values and preferences. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Jackie Wolf talks about the intersections between her personal experiences with social birthing and her scholarly work on the history of birthing and breastfeeding practices in the U.S. Dr. Jackie Wolf is Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. You can read Dr. Wolf’s article in Health Communication: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1719317

Birthing Practices in the U.S. Across Time

Managing food allergies is a communicative process. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Bute reflects on her family’s personal experiences with food allergies, and how her personal experiences led her to become a public advocate. She discusses her work with Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), the largest private funder of food allergy research in the U.S. Dr. Bute is an Associate Professor of Communication at IUPUI. You can read Dr. Bute’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1731779

Communicating about Food Allergies: Moving Between Personal Stories and Public Advocacy

On this episode of Defining Moments Podcast, Guest Host Dr. Jill Yamasaki talks with Dr. Leandra Hernandez and Dr. Sarah De Los Santos-Upton on how they live out the values of Chicana Feminism in their work as health communication scholars and activists. Leandra and Sarah share reflections on their work on reproductive healthcare at the Mexico-U.S. Border. They challenge listeners to join with Latinx communication scholars and border studies scholars to translate research into practices that can work to change lives. Dr. Hernandez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Utah Valley University. Dr. Upton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. Yamasaki is an Associate Professor in the Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston. You can read Drs. Hernandez and Upton’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1602819

Chicana Feminism and Border Studies: Reproductive Healthcare at the Mexico-U.S. Border

On this episode of Defining Moments Podcast, Guest Host Dr. Laura Ellingson talks with Dr. Leland Spencer about the vulnerability of storytelling and its emancipatory potential. Spencer challenges systemic barriers that limit opportunities for individuals based on gender and sexual identities, disabilities, and spirituality. The conversation offers a hopeful vision of inclusion and respect in settings that range from coffee shops to college classrooms. Dr. Spencer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary and Communication Studies and affiliate faculty in the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Miami University. Dr. Ellingson is the Patrick A. Donohoe Professor of Communication and Women’s and Gender Studies at Santa Clara University. You can read Dr. Spencer’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1598617

Stares and Prayers: Rethinking Masculinity, Disability, and Spirituality

Every year over 3 million dogs enter rescue shelters in the U.S. alone. Rescue organizations are short on resources and rely heavily on volunteers. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Jill Yamasaki invites listeners into the trauma-filled world of animal rescue. She reflects on her own journey characterized by both compassion fatigue and resilience. Dr. Yamasaki is an Associate Professor in the Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston. You can read her story about compassion fatigue and resilience published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1545337

Compassion Fatigue and Resilience in the Trauma-Filled World of Animal Rescue

Communicating about cancer across the natural progression of the disease is challenging and complicated. In this episode, Dr. Wayne Beach reflects on his research about family communication and patient-oncologist communication and the translation of his findings in the form of theatre productions and documentary films. Beach’s work illustrates the power of moving between personal stories and the public expression of those experiences. Dr. Beach is a Professor of Communication at San Diego State University. You can read Dr. Beach’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1731777

Theatrical and Documentary Film Translations of Cancer Communication Research

Families play a pivotal role in helping members make sense of mental illness and other health challenges. In this episode, Dr. Kellas invites listeners to consider how the process of family storytelling and the types of stories told can foster and/or disrupt stigma and healing. She offers suggestions for research-informed and narrative-based interventions for individuals, families, and groups. Dr. Kellas is a Professor and Chair of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You can read Dr. Kellas’ work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1683952 https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1431016

Family Storytelling, Mental Illness, and Well-Being: Fostering Healing Through Narrative Interventions

Defining Moments Podcast is hosting multiple episodes about how food communicates and how we communicate about food. On this episode, host Dr. Lynn Harter talks with Dr. Kristen Okamoto and Sonia Ivancic about the unique challenges and possibilities of addressing hunger in rural contexts characterized by high rates of poverty. They discuss their research with justice-oriented organizations that seek to go beyond providing access to food. They offer lessons learned about disrupting narratives of desperation and dependency and fostering narrative resilience. Dr. Okamoto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Clemson University. Dr. Sonia Ivancic is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at University of South Florida. You can read Dr. Ivancic’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1724644 You can read Dr. Okamoto’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1773706

Fostering Food Access and Food Justice in Rural Contexts

Defining Moments Podcast is hosting multiple episodes about how food communicates and how we communicate about food. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca de Souza discusses her research on communication processes at food pantries, a primary form of access for those who are food insecure. de Souza invites listeners to consider the limits of charitable organizing as a response to hunger. She urges us to re-imagine food pantries as activist spaces that challenge systemic racism, privilege, and stigma. Dr. de Souza is a Professor in the Department of Communication at University of Minnesota at Duluth. You can read Dr. de Souza’s work published in Health Communication at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2020.1731778

Re-Imagining Food Pantries as Activist Spaces

Childhood cancer is the number 1 disease killer among children in the U.S. Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every 3 minutes. Behind every statistic are stories. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Joe Bianco talks about his family’s experience with childhood cancer. His professional world collided with his personal one when his 11 year-old son Andrew was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. Joe reflects on the importance of understanding cancer and its care from a communal perspective. Dr. Joe Bianco is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. You can read an article about childhood cancer activism that includes the Bianco family’s journey published in Health Communication at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2019.1651624

Childhood Cancer and Cancer Care: Fostering a Communal Approach to Healing

Shortages of primary care physicians in medically underserved areas are well-documented across the United States. Medical schools are developing curricular innovations to prepare primary care physicians for medical practice in rural and urban underserved communities. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Sharon Casapulla and Dr. Alyssa Gerth talk about the Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways (RUSP) Programs at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUHCOM). RUSP adopts an asset-driven, place-based, and narrative orientation to the practice of medicine. Its goal is to prepare future physicians to foster inclusive healthcare. Dr. Casapulla is the Director of RUSP and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Social Medicine at OUHCOM. Dr. Gerth is a graduate of OUHCOM and RUSP and a resident physician at the Christ Hospital/University of Cincinnati Family Medicine Program. You can read an article about RUSP in an article published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1712529

Physician Shortages in Medically Underserved Areas: Fostering Inclusive Healthcare Through the Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways Programs

Positive Deviance is an approach to public health that flips the script of traditional top-down and deficit-based communication. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Arvind Singhal shares how he has embraced an assets-based, grassroots approach to social change in the midst of natural disasters, disability rights, domestic violence, and family planning. The reach of his work spans numerous countries including Japan, India, the Netherlands, and the U.S. Dr. Singhal is the Samual Shirley and Edna Holt Marston Endowed Professor of Communication and Director of the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Texas at El Paso. Since 2010, he has been the William J. Clinton Distinguished Fellow at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas. You can view follow his TEDx Talk at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-NAvN-PLW0&feature=youtu.be

Positive Deviance and Public Health Communication

Humans tell stories to make sense of birthing and dying and everything in between. Defining Moments Podcast showcases stories about living well in the midst of inescapable illness, suffering, and hardship. Season 2 launches on Memorial Day, May 25th, and features an eclectic group of guests who share moments of uncertainty, innovation, and resilience. Host Dr. Lynn Harter draws on twenty years of experience in health contexts to spark conversations that move between personal anecdotes and societal health challenges including food hardship, mental illness, opioid use and abuse, racial health inequalities, cancer care and other complex chronic conditions. Episodes are accompanied by articles published in Health Communication and other online resources. Defining Moments Podcast disrupts the silence that too often surrounds vulnerability, and allows narrators and audiences to imagine new normals.

Coming Soon: Season 2 of Defining Moments – Conversations about Health and Healing

The Scraps of the Heart Project sponsors creative arts workshops for bereaved parents coping with baby loss and infertility. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Erin Willer shares her personal story and how it informed the development of The Scraps of the Heart Project and its efforts. Dr. Willer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Denver. She is the author of several publications, and has worked with individuals of all ages ranging from elementary school through retirement. You can read Dr. Willer’s recently published article on in Health Communication at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2018.1550470 To learn more about The Scraps of The Heart Project, visit its website: https://www.scrapsoftheheartproject.com/our-story

Miscarriages, Infertility, and Baby Loss: Coping with Grief through Art

Humans tell stories to make sense of birthing and dying and everything in between. Defining Moments Podcast showcases stories about living well in the midst of inescapable illness, suffering, and hardship. Episodes feature an eclectic group of guests who share moments of uncertainty, innovation, and resilience. Host Dr. Lynn Harter draws on twenty years of experience in health contexts to spark conversations that move between personal anecdotes and societal health challenges. Each segment is accompanied by articles published in Health Communication and other online resources. Defining Moments Podcast disrupts the silence that too often surrounds vulnerability, and allows narrators and audiences to imagine new normals.

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Defining Moments Podcast: Conversations about Health and Hea...

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