Visual Storytelling in ELSI Research

The ELSI Friday Forum was held on Friday, April 14, 2023.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” - this widely understood sentiment could play a vital role in ELSI research and communication about genetics to community stakeholders. Visual storytelling can convey complicated genomics concepts and can be a powerful tool for directly engaging research participants. The panelists will discuss comics, animation, and other communication tools designed to support conversations in both research and clinical contexts. Panelists will draw on their experience to describe how visual stories can help address health literacy challenges during informed consent and when sharing research findings with study participants. The session will explore how visual storytelling can inform our understanding of genetics. How can ELSI researchers incorporate visual storytelling in their community engagement, research, and dissemination activities? What are the lessons learned from using visual storytelling methods in community engaged research and translation of biomedical research?

• Elizabeth Gross Cohn, PhD, RN, FAAN (City University of New York, Columbia University)
• Gary Ashwal, MA (Booster Shot Media)
• Moderated by Sara Ackerman, PhD, MPH (University of California - San Francisco)