Vivian Kobusingye Birchall
Production and Outreach Coordinator – ActonTV, Producer and Host
Media and Medicine Certificate Program Alumni, Cohort 1
Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health student, Class of 2024
“I wanted to mobilize people, and I knew I wanted to tell more about the story of gaps in healthcare. When I saw the advert for [the Media and Medicine Certificate program], I knew this was it. I wanted to learn how to be impactful.”
For Vivian, already a storyteller in her own right, joining this program was a seamless continuation of her past and future goals. “When I think about storytelling, I think of my upbringing. Formats of storytelling have changed over time, but the impact is the same. Suddenly I had a new perspective that changed because of the course. This is not just for entertainment and clicks. Because after clicks, what’s next? This is my model.”
The experiences Vivian had in the course had a real-world, immediate, and tangible effect on her work.
“There was one time, after graduation, when I was at a clinic. They were going through a list of triage, and I realized medicine cannot be made color-blind. Building on the lessons from the course I thought about, what is the story here: Healthcare Blindspots. It has enabled me to look deeper, not very far away and academically, but look at everyday life to see what people are ignoring that impacts the community. Because of a result of this class I’ve had so many collaborations with classmates, social media, and others.”
The power that a ‘story’ has to encourage change left a deep impression on Vivian.
“I started to look at storytelling and media as a driver for change. I learned how first to write the story, to see how it flows, and then transcribe that to video. How to first write and understand a compelling story. My long-term goal is to push for awareness of healthcare disparities. Television, Facebook, short videos. How can legislation be shaped to bridge these healthcare gaps? I want to create a holistic picture of global health. Thank you to the people who had the vision to create this course. It takes will to look deeper.”