After finding herself burned out working in a pediatric emergency room, Jess Babal, MD, discovered The Moth. Babal quickly realized that she was able to connect better with patients, their families, and her colleagues after listening to the podcast on the way to work. The Moth reminded Babal of the delicate balance between good and hard in the world, and she found herself more in touch with her humanity. That is when she decided she wanted to help members of the medical community feel connected with their own humanity, too.
Babal later joined faculty at the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics and started her work towards embedding storytelling within the department. She collaborated with individuals within the School of Medicine and Public Health, throughout Wisconsin, and across other upper Midwestern institutions to learn more about approaches to storytelling in medicine and integrating narrative medicine into departmental programming. Soon, the Listen In! Storytelling Collaborative was formed with the goal of generating storytelling programming and research at SMPH.
In 2022, the Listen In! Storytelling Collaborative introduced storytelling to the Department of Pediatrics through the inaugural Story Slam event. The popular event has now been integrated into annual, departmental programming.
Join us for our next event!
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
Time: 7:30-8:30 a.m. CST
Location: Zoom and HSLC 1335
Theme: Care & Comfort
Our mission is to foster a sense of connectedness and shared humanity through storytelling that builds community, nurtures compassion for self and others, encourages introspection, and inspires meaning-making.
Meet our 2024 Storytellers
Story Slam Archive
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2023 - Roses, Buds, and Thorns
Our Storytellers:
- Adnan Ahmad, DO
- Vivek Balasubramaniam, MD
- Rev. Chelsea Cornelius, M.Div
- Danielle Gerber
- Cathy Lee-Miller, MD
2022 - Second Chances
Story Slam 2022 was not recorded. Read about the event here.
Our Storytellers:
- Vivek Balasubramaniam, MD
- Diana Do, BS
- Kim Sue Lamster, MSW, CAPSW
- Cathy Lee-Miller, MD
- Mckenzy Suhr
- Sammi Tyler, DO
The University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics is committed to creating inclusive and accessible events. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Reva Finkelman at rfinkelman@wisc.edu. All requests must be made at least one month prior to the event. We will attempt to implement late requests but cannot guarantee they will be met.