General Interest: Alan Alda Shares Communication Wisdom at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Submitted by: Janice Radway, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Actor Alan Alda (of M*A*S*H fame) recently spoke to the students and faculty of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University during “The Patient Will See You Now,” a special grand rounds lecture held at the school. During the past several years, Alda has been helping scientists learn to communicate more clearly with the public through his work with Stony Brook University School of Journalism’s Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. While Alda did not specifically discuss the use of SPs, we educators know what a valuable tool SPs provide for building empathy and communication skills. Alda’s staff held workshops designed to help healthcare providers hone their communication skills with interprofessional teams as well as patients, often using improvisational theater exercises. Read the full article in Rowan Today here.