The Power of Narrative in an Uncertain World

Free and open to the public. There will be a reception at 5 P.M.

This interactive narrative medicine style lecture will begin with a brief personal story of the speaker’s experience transforming grief, trauma, and loss into clarity, self-awareness, and healing through reflective writing. Next, Dr. Roy-Bornstein will unpack the hard science behind the healing power of writing and make the case that, in this uncertain world, cultivating an attitude of openness gives us the flexibility we need to meet the moment with wonder and curiosity. Finally, our guest will lead attendees in a brief but dynamic reflective writing exercise designed to introduce the audience to the power of narrative to connect us all.

The first 75 attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Dr. Roy-Bornstein’s 2026 book A Prescription for Burnout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals. Everyone will receive a notepad and pen for the reflective writing portion of the event.

BIOGRAPHY

Carolyn Roy-Bornstein, M.D., FAAP, has worked in healthcare for over thirty years, first as a nurse, then as a pediatrician, working in intensive care, emergency medicine, and private solo practice. She is currently the writer-in-residence at the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency program where she teaches Narrative Medicine. Her books include Crash: A Mother, a Son, and the Journey from Grief to Gratitude, Through Thick and Thin: One Foster Family’s Eating Disorder Journey, and A Prescription for Burnout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals. This latest book offers a powerful, science-based remedy to burnout in the healthcare field: reflective writing. It is a compassionate guide for anyone wishing to reconnect with their deepest values, renew their sense of purpose and meaning, and reclaim their voice and vocation. 

Dr. Roy-Bornstein has presented keynote addresses and workshops across the US and Europe, including invited lectures at Harvard University, the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine, the Brain Injury Association of America, the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Medical Humanities Lab, Massachusetts Medical Society, the American Medical Women’s Association, the Women in Medicine Summit, and the International Meeting on Wellness and Performance in Clinical Practice in Kastoria, Greece.

SUGGESTED READING

Roy-Bornstein, Carolyn. A Prescription for Burnout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026.