Writing What Matters: Two Hours to Craft Your Compelling Op-Ed or Personal Essay as a Healthcare Professional

Unlock the Power of Your Perspective and Share Your Unique Story

  • WRITING WHAT MATTERS

    Qualifies 1.5 CME credits

    Recording is available after the session.

    “Excellent, affirming, totally worth money and time.” - Workshop participant

    What You Get:

    • Structures for Op-Eds and Personal Essays

    • Storytelling Techniques

    • Expert Insights

    • Actionable Feedback

    Everything You Need:

    In this 2 hour workshop, Drs. Laurel and Alyssa will help you identify what matters most and how your specific point-of-view can be crafted into an impactful personal essay or op-ed.

    By the end of the session you will have:

    An overview of the forms and their key differences - personal essay vs. opinion editorial.

    A grasp of powerful beginnings and ways of incorporating meaningful data into your written pieces.

    Everything you need to know to pitch editors to publish in major newspapers.

    An understanding of how to hone your ideas and how to pitch.

    We’ll help you articulate your insights as a healthcare expert.

    You’ll learn to use impactful narratives to position yourself as a thought leader. All you bring is your laptop or a pen!

  • Want to make sure it's worth it? you'll learn

    • Key differences between op-eds and personal essays

    • Structures that work for each

    • How to connect your unique experiences with pressing societal issues in medicine, public health and beyond

    • Techniques for turning complex topics into clear and compelling writing

    • How to recognize top-quality work in the two forms (with examples).

    • Best practices for pitching and publishing

  • After the session, you’ll leave with:

    • A Recording of the Session

    • An outline of everything we cover

    • Laurel’s Tips for Writing and Life

    • Alyssa’s List of Places to Pitch Your Work

    • Up to 1.5 CME credits

FAQ

  • Show up, as distraction-free as possible. If you have ideas about possible opinion or personal essays, bring them with you.

  • Bring a pen and paper, or your laptop. Whatever makes you comfortable.

  • That’s ok! We will help you reflect on your experiences to generate ideas!

ABOUT YOUR TEACHERS

  • LAUREL BRAITMAN, PHD

    Laurel Braitman PhD is a writer, teacher and secular, clinical chaplain-in-training. She is the author of the brand new memoir What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey through loss to love and the NYT bestselling book Animal Madness: Inside Their Minds. She received her doctorate in History and Anthropology of Science from MIT and is the director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Medical Humanities and the Arts Program where she helps clinical students, staff and physicians communicate more clearly and vulnerably for their own benefit and that of their patients. Laurel is also the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals.

  • Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA

    Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA is a pediatric anesthesiologist, bioethicist, and storyteller. In a former life, she was an actor and takes some of her incredible performance energy into the OR and her teaching. She harnesses the power of social media and her newsletter Poppies & Propofol to dig into many of healthcare's most complex issues. She speaks nationally on bioethics, trauma-informed care, disability justice, gender equity, and reproductive justice issues. Her work has been featured in JAMA, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Slate Magazine. Outside her clinical and ethics work, she is raising two cool kids with her husband, playing fetch with a tiny dog, singing, and playing guitar.