Healing Healthcare Through Shared Stories: Elevating Patient and Provider Voices
Watch Health Story Collaborative’s third annual virtual event, Healing Healthcare Through Shared Stories: Elevating Patient and Provider Voices.
As health systems have become increasingly corporate, patients and providers are feeling more disconnected than ever. Provider burnout rates are at an all-time high, and patients are not getting what they need. The goal of this event was to highlight the humanity of both patients and providers by fostering a community of understanding, connection, and healing. To heal healthcare, patients and providers need to come together as allies.
This event featured patients and their healthcare providers sharing personal stories side by side, highlighting the challenges and triumphs they have experienced separately and together. This shared storytelling session offered a unique perspective on the patient-provider relationship, emphasizing the importance of empathy, communication, and mutual respect.
This dialogue focused on identifying the aspects of healthcare that feel broken and exploring potential solutions to mend these fractures. By elevating these voices, we aim to inspire change and promote a more healing and supportive healthcare experience for all.
Featured Storytellers
Katherine Gergen Barnett
Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett is the Vice Chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center, an Associate Professor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, an Associate at Harvard’s Center for Primary Care, and a Health Innovators Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Dr. Gergen Barnett’s research career has concentrated on developing innovative models of care intended to manage chronic medical conditions, reduce physician burnout, and engage with community partners to create practical solutions for enhancing health and wellness and addressing medical distrust in traditionally marginalized communities. She also participates in health policy efforts addressing health inequities and primary care delivery, and contributes to The Boston Globe, Boston Public Radio, and various television outlets. Cheryl Harding is her primary care patient.
Cheryl Harding
Cheryl Harding was the founder and executive director of the nonprofit From Roots to Wings, which supported grandparents raising their grandchildren and she was a state wide Field Director for Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s campaign. She is also a patient living with chronic pain and is committed to ensuring that everyone gets equal access to information, services and opportunities. Her healthcare journey includes the work she does as Strategic Advisor for the Everyday Boston Storytelling to Build Medical Trust Curriculum Project in which she is learning to build trust with others, including the building of trust with medical providers as the BIPOC community begins the process of healing together through their shared humanity and storytelling. Cheryl is a strong voice for the underserved and underrepresented and shares her personal journey with feeling unseen and unheard by the medical community before finally getting quality health care.
[Photo credit: Jaypix Belmer]
Featured Panelists
Thalia Krakower
Thalia Krakower is a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She has a special interest in caring for adults with developmental disabilities. Thalia has personally experienced some of the shortcomings of our healthcare system—the “cracks in humanity”--- as the mother of a young child undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. These experiences have deepened her desire to center empathy in the practice of medicine. In her words, “I [now] see that being a good doctor and a good mother are not as different as I once thought. To turn toward the pain, heart and eyes open, caring unconditionally.”
Brianna Cardenas
Brianna Cardenas is a Physician Assistant, a certified athletic trainer and the founder of Healed and Empowered, an organization that specializes in optimizing health among those living with chronic illness. She is also a patient living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an “invisible” condition that can be hard to diagnose and often discounted by healthcare providers as a result. Brianna’s lived experience as a patient informs her work as a healthcare provider.
Chris Anselmo
Chris Anselmo is a Connecticut resident living with a rare neuromuscular disease called limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B. He writes about his experience in his newsletter, “Hello, Adversity” where he shares reflections on cultivating resilience in tough times.
Past Events
Reclaiming Our Mental Health Stories
On March 3, 2024, we held our second annual event, "Reclaiming Our Mental Health Stories", during which we shed light on the experiences of individuals navigating mental health challenges in today's world. Listen to our conversation with Rachel Aviv, author of Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories that Make Us, during which we explore the relationship between identity and illness, the impact of labels, and much more. Experience the power of storytelling as you listen to Marina, Nathalie, and John, who shed light on the experiences of individuals navigating anxiety, depression, addiction, and disordered eating.
Making the Invisible Visible
On February 4, 2023, we held our inaugural annual event, “Making the Invisible Visible”, during which we shed light on the experiences of individuals navigating “invisible” chronic illnesses which are poorly understood, challenging to diagnose, and often dismissed by the healthcare establishment. Listen to our conversation with Meghan O’Rourke, author of The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, during which we discussed the concepts of narrative identity and how Meghan's own experience sharing her story has changed how she experiences her illness today. Experience the power of storytelling as you listen to Katy Morly and Lili Fox-Lim, two courageous storytellers, who shared the challenges and insights they’ve encountered on their journeys through illness and healing.