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Author: Michele L. Mekel, JD, MHA, MBA

Michele L. Mekel, JD, MHA, MBA is the interim director of the intercollege Bioethics Program at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). She is also a teaching professor of Bioethics and an affiliate faculty member of Penn State Law and the Rock Ethics Institute, as well as being jointly appointed to the Humanities Department of the Penn State College of Medicine. Additionally, she serves as co-principal investigator of the Viral Imaginations: COVID-19 project (viralimaginations.psu.edu). Mekel attended the University of Missouri–Columbia, where she earned Bachelor of Journalism, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Health Care Administration degrees, and a Juris Doctor degree. Her creative writing has appeared in numerous publications and on platforms, including being featured in Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac, being nominated for Best of the Net, and being translated into Cherokee.

Viral Imaginations: Healing Through Pandemic Narratives

As the COVID-19 pandemic blindsided us in 2020, an interdisciplinary team at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) developed the Viral Imaginations: COVID-19 project to encourage all Pennsylvanians to creatively cope by telling their unique stories. The results, sampled here, were profound. The authors note that similar projects could “benefit healthcare, including rehabilitation, by creating understanding among and between patients, providers, and others involved in the circle of care.”

Office Visit

With observant humor and a brisk rhythm, Michele Mekel’s poem evokes the memory of an awkward encounter in a waiting room, where a doctor initially dismissed her at first sight. “Office Visit” serves as a reminder to healthcare professionals not to make snap judgments and underestimate their clients.