Defining Moments Podcast: Conversations about Health and Healing WOUB Public Media

How do you reframe a terminal disease as a life-limiting experience? In this episode of Defining Moments, guest host Dr. Erika Kirby speaks with Dr. Chad McBride and Dr. Kathy Miller on how they’ve been co-narrating Chad’s life in the wake of his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In raw and honest form, Chad reflects on the diagnosis and its impact. Together, Chad and Kathy describe their joint efforts of legacy leaving and memoir writing. Beyond clarifying these narrative endeavors, Chad and Kathy challenge listeners to cherish relationships lost and found. Dr. McBride and Dr. Kirby are Professors in the Department of Communication Studies at Creighton University. Dr. Miller is a retired academician who now writes fiction and nonfiction professionally.

You can read more about Dr. McBride’s ALS experiences in Psychology Today at:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/medical-humanities-mamas/202008/experiencing-the-unimaginable-dying-and-leaving-your-child

Childbirth is a biological and cultural experience. Birthing practices and women’s experiences of childbirth are shaped by ever-shifting medical practices and societal values and preferences. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Jackie Wolf talks about the intersections between her personal experiences with social birthing and her scholarly work on the history of birthing and breastfeeding practices in the U.S. Dr. Jackie Wolf is Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

You can read Dr. Wolf’s article in Health Communication: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1719317

Managing food allergies is a communicative process. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Bute reflects on her family’s personal experiences with food allergies, and how her personal experiences led her to become a public advocate. She discusses her work with Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), the largest private funder of food allergy research in the U.S. Dr. Bute is an Associate Professor of Communication at IUPUI.
You can read Dr. Bute’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1731779

On this episode of Defining Moments Podcast, Guest Host Dr. Jill Yamasaki talks with Dr. Leandra Hernandez and Dr. Sarah De Los Santos-Upton on how they live out the values of Chicana Feminism in their work as health communication scholars and activists. Leandra and Sarah share reflections on their work on reproductive healthcare at the Mexico-U.S. Border. They challenge listeners to join with Latinx communication scholars and border studies scholars to translate research into practices that can work to change lives. Dr. Hernandez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Utah Valley University. Dr. Upton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Dr. Yamasaki is an Associate Professor in the Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston.

You can read Drs. Hernandez and Upton’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1602819

On this episode of Defining Moments Podcast, Guest Host Dr. Laura Ellingson talks with Dr. Leland Spencer about the vulnerability of storytelling and its emancipatory potential. Spencer challenges systemic barriers that limit opportunities for individuals based on gender and sexual identities, disabilities, and spirituality. The conversation offers a hopeful vision of inclusion and respect in settings that range from coffee shops to college classrooms. Dr. Spencer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary and Communication Studies and affiliate faculty in the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Miami University. Dr. Ellingson is the Patrick A. Donohoe Professor of Communication and Women’s and Gender Studies at Santa Clara University.

You can read Dr. Spencer’s work published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1598617

Every year over 3 million dogs enter rescue shelters in the U.S. alone. Rescue organizations are short on resources and rely heavily on volunteers. On this episode of Defining Moments, Dr. Jill Yamasaki invites listeners into the trauma-filled world of animal rescue. She reflects on her own journey characterized by both compassion fatigue and resilience. Dr. Yamasaki is an Associate Professor in the Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston.

You can read her story about compassion fatigue and resilience published in Health Communication at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1545337