Webinar:
Storytelling as a Method: Bridging Evaluation and Healing
Wednesday, November 19 at 2:00 pm ET
Many people are concerned about the increase in isolation and loneliness we are facing as well as the associated health risks such as anxiety and depression. Evaluators and researchers often collect data to further understand who, where, and why we are seeing these types of changes. They also gather stories to give a more human voice to support the data. But what if there’s more to it than “data”?
In this session, we’ll explore how storytelling isn’t just a means of gathering data. Sharing personal experiences—and feeling truly understood by someone who relates, validates, or listens with empathy—can be transformative in itself. Peer support groups and behavioral health practitioners have long recognized this power and have developed ways to facilitate storytelling as part of healing.
We’ll ask and reflect on questions such as:
- What happens when someone feels truly listened to?
- How can evaluators build approaches that create a safe space for story sharing and emotional expression?
- How might evaluations become not just a process of collecting data, but a meaningful exchange for participants and their wellbeing?
- What are the conditions and skills that evaluators need so they can collect and use stories with care in a culturally appropriate manner?
This is a practical, thoughtful conversation for evaluators, researchers, program staff, and others working at the intersection of behavioral health, community engagement and evaluation.
We hope you’ll bring your questions, reflections and experience. The session will include comments from our panelists, followed by interactive discussion.
If included, attendees on our mailing list will receive access to the webinar video, deck, and additional materials.
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Your Host
Annapurna Ghosh, MPH
Director
Community Science
Anna has more than 15 years of experience as a public health researcher, evaluator, and strategic planner for a range of programs that focus on substance use disorder (SUD), HIV, and chronic diseases. She has expertise in facilitating strategic planning and the use of data with multi-sector coalitions, working across health departments to support coordination of care, and developing resources to promote best practices in patient centered care.
Your Panelists
Kien Lee, PhD
President
Community Science
Kien has expertise in promoting equity, inclusion, and cultural competency for health, food security, civic engagement, and leadership development. Current evaluations include those with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Colorado Trust, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Brandi Gilbert, PhD
Managing Director
Community Science
Brandi brings expertise in researching topics and evaluating initiatives related community resilience, especially efforts that build community capacity to respond to natural disaster. She also has extensive experience working with youth to build their capacity to lead change in their community. She is actively involved in the evaluation profession, is a graduate of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) program, and then led the program for six years. She leads Community Science’s practice area on youth leadership and civic engagement.
Amy Moffett
Amy is an avid listener, and a committed advocate for mental health and community well-being. She has long been drawn to people’s stories—finding connection in both shared experiences and meaningful differences. Amy has worked in public health with a focus on reducing stigma surrounding mental health, particularly mood disorders, and believes strongly that resilience grows when communities stand together.
In her work, Amy brings warmth, curiosity, and a deep respect for the individuals and families she serves. She is grounded by the main characters in her own story—her loving family, treasured friends, and her rescue dog, Annabelle, who learned to trust again.