The Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) community gathered with local residents for "Science & Storytelling" at East Rock Brewing Company in New Haven in March. In this casual, off-campus setting — before a standing-room-only audience — speakers shared personal stories about how science has shaped their lives, touching on topics ranging from coping with grief to living with dementia.
The energy in the room spoke to the power of storytelling to move communities. Speakers went beyond scientific language to forge genuine connections with the audience, putting human faces behind data and research.
"Many people associate public health with labs and research," said Wenyi (Jennie) Jiang, MPH '27, one of the six speakers. "But with growing mistrust in science, it is increasingly important for academics to communicate in ways that are accessible and meaningful." The event also reflected the school's emphasis on building community beyond the Yale campus.
YSPH Dean Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, and Adjunct Professor Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH — both accomplished and widely respected science communicators — helped organize the event.
Telling her story helped Jiang clarify her own thinking about public health communication. "People can be intimidated when academics use jargon or complex sentences," she said. "That is where a lot of the divide happens." Storytelling helps bridge that gap, she added. "You put a face behind the information, and all of a sudden, researchers are not intimidating. You see where they are coming from."
Jiang, a student in Jetelina's course, “Navigating the Media Landscape for Maximum Public Health Impact,” shared her reflections on witnessing homelessness and displacement in New Haven. She spoke about why it matters that public health works to improve the health of all communities, including the community of people who are unhoused.
One of the evening's most memorable moments came after Jiang spoke, when a young girl — about 10 years old — approached her with a question about homelessness.
"She was very brave," Jiang said. "I felt like my story started a discussion with my younger self."
Fellow YSPH student Semilore Babawale, MPH '27, who is also taking Jetelina's course, said the experience pushed her out of her comfort zone and allowed her to practice communication skills not typically emphasized in epidemiology training.
Other speakers were Legairre Radden II, a research scientist with Boehringer Ingelheim; YSPH Community Impact Lab Program Manager Jason Martinez; and contributors from the LiveWell dementia alliance, including Donald Buckley and Ellen Sue Moses.
Events like Science & Storytelling reflect the heart of YSPH's 2025–2030 strategic plan, Linking Science and Society, which calls on the school to "proactively link science and society, helping communities everywhere to thrive based on a foundation of public health." The gathering directly advances two of the plan's core priorities: Enhancing Trust in the science and practice of public health — by training and supporting students, faculty, and partners to serve as credible, accessible translators of public health evidence — and Fostering Interconnected, Inclusive, and Interdisciplinary Public Health Communities, by investing in relationships within New Haven and beyond.
By bringing researchers and residents together around shared stories, the event demonstrated that building public trust is not just a communication strategy — it is the practice of public health itself.