How do you teach a medical student how to tell a patient they have cancer?
For health sciences librarian Deborah, this isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s a classroom reality. In her role working with medical, nursing, and public health students, she helps facilitate sessions where future clinicians practice navigating these exact life-altering conversations.
And when relevant, she shares her own experience.
"The first way that I found out I had cancer was over the phone," Deborah shares. "I still remember when I got that phone call... I was alone in the apartment and I was looking out the window at a tree that was blooming, and I didn't know if I would get to see that same tree bloom the following year. That was pretty earth shattering."
By bringing her lived reality as an eleven-year melanoma outlier directly into the classroom, Deborah is helping train a more empathetic, communicative generation of healthcare providers.
Both parts of Deborah's profound, two-episode interview are streaming now. Spend your weekend with a conversation that bridges the gap between the patient's bedside and the medical lecture hall.
🔗 Link in bio to watch or listen now → ChangedByCancer.com
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