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Portland, Maine

UNE's Jan Froehlich publishes book on race and culture in health and social care

Jan
Jan Froehlich, M.S., O.T.R./L.

As the United States experienced a long-overdue racial reckoning during the summer of 2020 鈥 with Americans from all walks of life gathering en masse to protest systemic racism 鈥 Jan Froehlich, M.S., O.T.R./L., associate professor of occupational therapy, was working with co-author June Thornton-Marsh and their editors at Routledge to put the finishing touches on a new book aiming to help practitioners and aspiring practitioners develop the essential skills for racially and culturally effective communication in health and social care.

Froehlich and Thornton-Marsh鈥檚 鈥溾 draws from their wealth of experience in the field and long-time colleagueship.

The book is divided into four sections that offer perspective on developing such essential skills such as listening attentively and compassionately to others鈥 life narratives, aligning with and responding to others鈥 emotions, and finding humor in ourselves as well as others. The book鈥檚 final section includes interviews from medical, health, and social care practitioners discussing examples of how they use racially and culturally effective communication to transform the care they provide and create better health outcomes for their patients.

Ultimately, the book makes the case that improved communication results in a better experience for patients and practitioners alike.  

According to Dean of the Westbrook College of Health Professions (WCHP) and interim provost, Karen Pardue, Ph.D., M.S., RN, CNE, ANEF, a number of programs in the WCHP are currently previewing the book for integration into curricula and adoption as a contemporary learning resource.

51小黄车 the University of 51小黄车

The University of 51小黄车 is Maine鈥檚 largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state鈥檚 top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine鈥檚 only medical college, Maine鈥檚 only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.