UNE’s third Health Care Story Slam embraces empathy and inclusion

The third Health Care Story Slam at the University of New England delivered varied tales of empathy and resilience from a troupe of nine performers that included individuals from marginalized communities in Maine.

Isabel Ryan, a second-year Environmental Sciences student at UNE, organized the event with the theme, “Mindful Communities: Fostering Empathy in Public Health.” And Ryan recruited the speakers with an eye toward inclusivity welcoming four UNE students, an alum, as well as community members who included an athlete from Special Olympics Maine.

Charlie Saffian took his place on the well-lite stage in the dark auditorium at the Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences with aplomb and a sense of humor as Saffian recounted the story of how his trip to the Down Syndrome Swimming World Championship in Portugal turned tragic.

“First it was a plane, then it was a train, then it was a bus — and I'm not Superman,” Saffian deadpanned, eliciting laughter from the audience. 

Saffian detailed how he missed one of his races at the meet after getting knocked on his head — a devastating turn of events. But the father of one of his teammates who was a doctor volunteered to watch Saffian for 24 hours to make certain he could compete the next day.

“I was definitely nervous about getting back into the pool,” Saffian said. “After the encounter, my coaches helped me overcome my fear. Once I was back in the water, I felt so glad. It felt great. I was so happy that our team doctor took such good care of me and made me feel comfortable.”

Other storytellers included alumna Michelle Fong, M.P.H. ’24, founder and executive director of the Navimental, a business that helps parents navigate mental and behavioral health care for their children. Fong shared the story of navigating her own daughter’s mental-health challenges, a painful journey that inspired her to later earn her master's in public health from UNE.

“True empathy in health care is more than an algorithm and compassionate words at a visit,” Fong said. “It's hearing and seeing a patient. It's understanding them and being in the same space and holding it with them and helping them achieve their health goals.”

Ryan organized the event as part of her Shaw Innovation Fellowship, a UNE program that is supported by entrepreneur and philanthropist David Evans Shaw. She opened the program with her own story of struggle as someone who went years before being diagnosed with a little-known condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.  

Ryan acknowledged the challenge of telling a personal story publicly. In the end, she said, the evening event was a win for all involved.

“Working with communities on health-care issues has benefited me personally,” Ryan said. “I’m actually considering a minor in public health now because of this event.”

Lisa Herschbach, Ph.D., UNE director of the Office of Innovation, helped Ryan coordinate the event along with Tara McDonough, UNE associate director of donor research, who coached the participants in their presentations.

“At UNE we emphasize the value of collaboration in training of skilled, versatile, and resilient health care providers,” Herschbach said. “This year the Health Care Story Slam included both individual storytellers and members of a community organization who shared stories in conversation with one another. In this way, our Third Annual Health Care Story Slam represents both the continuation of a beloved tradition and the introduction of innovation to the genre of the Story Slam.”