Empathy and Storytelling
in News & Events
Follow me for newsworthy mentions of empathy, public health, science and change communications, and of course, anything storytelling! - plus some personal news
Elon Musk leaves following a luncheon with members of the Senate Republican Conference on Capitol Hill on March 5, 2025.
KENT NISHIMURA/REUTERS/REUTERS
Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy.
CNN- March 8, 2025.
“Americans are still in the dark about the scope and scale of what Elon Musk is doing with DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, which is working to drastically shrink the size of government by aiming to cut $1 trillion or more in government spending.
But there’s some insight into what’s driving Musk — namely, an effort to combat what he referred to as “civilizational suicidal empathy.””
Someone leaning on another person’s shoulder—on empathy and healthcare seeking for people who use drugs
Breaking the vicious cycle of delayed healthcare seeking for people who use drugs
“People who use drugs (PWUD) are at increased mortality risk, yet they typically avoid healthcare settings due to stigma and shunning. Understanding the healthcare journey from the viewpoint of PWUD has been understudied, although it is essential for informing solutions to increase healthcare access to improve their healthcare outcomes.”
“Participants’ recommendations to build patient-provider trust and improve healthcare access include stigma minimization, promotion of empathy in the patient-provider relationship, and engaging community organizations that serve PWUD to build bridges with healthcare providers and institutions.”
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Papalamprakopoulou, Z., E. Ntagianta, V. Triantafyllou, et al. “Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Delayed Healthcare Seeking for People Who Use Drugs.” Harm Reduction Journal 22, no. 27 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-025-01166-3.
Unsplash Image: shredded poster reads THEY WILL IGNORE YOU UNTIL THEY CAN’T. Communicating Science, Empathy and more.
Storytelling and Science: How Effective Framing Shapes Understanding
The Elm - a publication of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, March 5, 2025
“In real life, convincing an audience of the validity of a scientific recommendation can be a daunting task. My own case was favored by a personal connection, which enabled weeks of attempts to deliver a message, but science communicators are faced with limited time and one-way channels to accomplish their goals.
One way to persuade an audience to overcome their fear is by employing "framing" strategies, crafting an argument that uses the bits of information that will resonate the most. Based on the lessons learned from my interactions with Toña, here are five tips to frame an argument successfully.”
Daniela Benites