This course is an intensive workshop for clinical students devoted to oral and written communication skills. Students receive instruction in the art and craft of storytelling for a variety of media from radio/podcast to print media. Topics covered: methods for constructive self-editing; the art of interviewing; pitching creative work to agents and editors; writing craft for narrative nonfiction and personal essay; negotiating consent with subjects; communication about difficult topics; best practices for science and medical communication; slide design for impactful presentation and best practices for public speaking and live storytelling. The workshops are held off-campus (fall workshop is a Sat/Sun (wknd) at Soul Food Farm), spring and winter workshops are daylong, held Pie Ranch with a single two-hour follow up session. Enrollment limited to 55.

Laurel works with many students and faculty on a one-to-one basis as a mentor on all aspects of writing, reporting, interviewing, journalistic and creative research, ethics, pitching, publishing and editing. Clinical students can sign up for independent study on a quarterly basis or apply with a writing project to the Medscholars Program. Past students have done multi-year investigative reporting projects on everything from the criminalization of substance abuse disorder to community-based palliative medicine and right-to-die efforts. Her students have published in both academic and popular media and in a variety of forms–from fiction to poetry to opinion to longform creative nonfiction.

In this spring quarter class students practice making their own writing more evocative, compelling, interesting and vital. We cover topics from narrative structure to pitching agents and editors. All forms of writing are welcome from poetry to personal essay to science fiction to opinion pieces. Past students have gone on to publish books, radio stories, and much, much more. Also, you get dinner!

This is an individual directed reading course intended for students who have an interest and specific focus in the medical humanities. Students develop their own syllabus with Laurel’s oversight and meet biweekly, one on one, with Laurel to discuss their reading and written responses. Written responses may take the form of fiction, non fiction or other prose. Previous students have focused on exploring longform nonfiction about medicine and public health, the reading and writing of poetry about illness and the body, and popular science writing about matters of public health, among many other topics.

Now taught by the incredible Adjoa Boateng MD MPH, this course is a deep dive into the medical humanities and covers topics often overlooked in the core curriculum–ranging from medical sustainability and psychological trauma to healthcare of the incarcerated and LGBTQ health. This is a required course for clerkship students.