Powerful Pens – Writing for Change

Journal manuscripts and conference abstracts are not the only places for students, staff and faculty within an academic institution or health care organization to tell stories. The experiences and expertise of student, staff and faculty are rich and diverse and there is wealth of untold stories that should be told. The story can be about research, clinical work, teaching or personal experiences or a combination of all those things. The story can be as complex as about translating research into policy or as simple as about an experience that changed us or molded us.

The academic environment is not a natural one for nurturing storytellers beyond the usual academic amplification mechanisms of journal manuscripts and conference abstracts. The Center for Health Policy Powerful Pens Visible Voices program aims to provide some of that nurturing by providing teaching tools and guidance for UNT System students, staff and faculty to discover the power in their pens and encourage the visibility of their voices.

During the Center for Health Policy Launch Week event in October 2022 we hosted a Powerful Pens Visible Voices moderated panel discussion with panelists who work in academia and health care who have been successful in this space.

Applications opened in February 2023 for students, staff and faculty across the UNT System to apply for the HSC CHP Powerful Pens Visible Voices Program which includes sponsored slots in the Op-Ed Project Write To Change the World Workshops.