2025 UCSF Library Artist in Residence, Michelle Memran, presents Finding Our “We” Forward: Who Tells the Story of Brain Change, and Why Language Matters.

Join us for a story-centered workshop exploring how personal narratives can challenge stigma and cultivate connection around dementia-related diagnoses. Drawing inspiration from the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Collection at the UCSF Library, the session examines storytelling practices that emerged at a pivotal moment in public health advocacy—when firsthand testimony, collective voice, and acts of witnessing became vital tools for both care and change.

Led by documentary filmmaker and UCSF Artist in Residence Michelle Memran, the workshop invites participants to consider how language shapes lived experience, how stigma reverberates through individuals and families, and what it means to advocate for ourselves and others facing often misunderstood, multifaceted illnesses. Through guided reflection and creative storytelling exercises, participants will reflect on how telling a story—our own or a loved one’s—can connect us and expand our shared understanding.

Together, this workshop will explore how to move from isolated experiences toward a shared “we,” and how reclaiming narrative agency can reshape our understanding of dementia and catalyze a much-needed care revolution.

Registration is required and open to UCSF ID badge holders. Admission for this workshop is FREE.

What to bring

This is an in-person workshop. All materials will be provided.

Accommodations

UCSF welcomes everyone, including people with disabilities to our events. To request a reasonable accommodation for this event, please contact Dylan Romero by emailing dylan.romero@ucsf.edu.

Questions?

Contact Dylan Romero at dylan.romero@ucsf.edu.