College Fellow Professor Carmen Wong Dinner Talk

Last week, College Fellow Professor Carmen Wong gave a dinner talk entitled “10 things you didn't know about doctor and patient consultations.” The talk centered on how communication between doctors and patients impacts the quality of care. As it turns out, misconceptions can actually contribute to care, or at least the placebo effect; people tend to think that colored pills, for instance, are more efficacious. Typically, however, misconceptions can make communication more difficult. For example, she explained that likeability often relates to nonverbal behaviors, such as tone of voice and facial expressions, not just the competence of the doctor.  Professor Wong concluded with an invitation for nonmedical students to get involved with her work, reminding us all that communicating effectively—and understanding effective communication—requires us to think outside of our own disciplines and perspectives.