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.