VOLVOX: Making Narrative Medicine Happen Alumni Speaker Series

Off the Charts w/ Rudy Malcom, MS'25 and Sue Kenney, CPA'21

We often think about NM in clinical spaces, but what happens when we bring it elsewhere? 

Sue Kenney and Rudy Malcom will share their experiences introducing narrative practices into high school and adult-learning spaces. They will discuss the challenges of adapting master's level material and balancing rigor with accessibility to allow reflection on what it means to give care with humanity and humility. The presentations will highlight what worked and what didn't, from building community and incorporating guest speakers to designing hans-on exercises and creative projects.

Sue Kenney is in her third year of developing and teaching a Narrative Medicine curriculum at the high school level, where she works with students to practice close listening, reflection, and ethical imagination through literature, art, and storytelling. She is a faculty member in the English, Science, and Social Studies Departments at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, NJ, and holds a Doctor of Letters in Writing from Drew University. Her work has appeared in Health Affairs and Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, and she is the recipient of fellowships from the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes and the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. In addition to her teaching, Sue serves on the Advisory Board of the Holocaust and Genocide Center at St. Elizabeth University. 

An award-winning journalist transitioning into narrative medicine, Rudy Malcom earned his M.S. from Columbia in 2025. With a background in communications in bylines in numerous publications, his reporting has often explored art, health, culture, and social justice. He previously graduated from Johns Hopkins University, where he studied creative writing and psychology and served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

Moderated by Cherie Henderson, PhD, MS'14