Learn from Harvard faculty and leading storytellers how to find, tell, and share stories about health and medicine while creating your own media project with an expert mentor.
| 12 Weeks | | Live Virtual Evening Sessions | | April 5 - June 25, 2027 |
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| Learn from Harvard Faculty and Media Experts | | Create a Media Project with an Expert Mentor | | 14 Harvard Faculty-Led Modules |
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| Master Class with Artist-in-Residence | | 4 Networking Events | | 36 Hours of Faculty Office Hours |
Program Format
This 12-week program begins with an intensive week of live virtual evening sessions from April 5–9, followed by two evening sessions in May, two evening sessions in June, and three evenings of capstone presentations at the end of the program. Learners will participate in 14 Harvard faculty-led modules, a Master Class with the Media, Medicine, and Health Artist-in-Residence, six sessions led by the Program Directors, and four networking events. Learners will develop an individual project in their choice of storytelling modality under the guidance of an expert practitioner and will have the opportunity to attend office hours with Harvard faculty for additional mentorship.
Recent mentors include writers and editors from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, STAT News, The Washington Post, and USA Today; television writers from Law & Order: SVU and House, M.D.; documentary filmmakers from PBS Frontline, Discovery, and National Geographic; and award-winning and bestselling poets, memoirists, and novelists. Certificate program alums have published more than seventy articles in The New York Times, USA Today, STAT, The Boston Globe, Vox, and many others, won screenwriting competitions, and developed memoirs, novels, plays, and podcasts.
Program Learning Objectives
- Find the Story: Discover and shape compelling stories about medicine and public health.
- Tell the Story: Learn narrative techniques across media formats, from podcasts to television and film to opinion and memoir writing; featuring a master class from the MMH artist-in-residence.
- Reach the audience: Become an effective public communicator, from pitching and publishing opinion pieces to curating social media content to television media training to a session with a publisher and literary agent.
Who Should Attend
The certificate program is designed for people who want to use storytelling and communication to show why medicine and public health matters. The program welcomes healthcare professionals and leaders, medical, nursing, and public health professionals and students, researchers, journalists, health advocates, bioethicists, foundation and nonprofit staff, hospital administrators, and public health policymakers.
The program is also designed for healthcare organizations, hospitals, universities, foundations, nonprofits, and public health agencies seeking to strengthen the communication skills of their teams. Participants develop practical skills to communicate why their work matters, create social media campaigns, translate complex evidence for public audiences, counter misinformation, build public support, and represent their organizations effectively across media platforms.
What You Earn
Learners who complete the program requirements will earn a Certificate of Completion. You will become a part of our alumni network of past participants and you will be invited to events sponsored by the Harvard Medical School Media, Medicine, and Health program. You will also be able to join the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) as an associate member.
