How Comics Can Increase Health Literacy and Engagement

***BEFORE YOU REGISTER FOR THIS ON-DEMAND WEBINAR PLEASE REVIEW IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION BELOW***

Graphic medicine is a wide-ranging category that includes graphic memoirs, non-fiction, and fiction for all age groups including adults, teens, and children. Graphic medicine works—graphic novels and comics with a health, wellness, or disease theme—often address stigmatized or misunderstood health conditions, as well as the health implications of racism, homophobia, and transphobia. Libraries have used graphic medicine to reduce feelings of isolation by helping community members feel seen while also introducing new health topics to a wider audience. Over the last year, graphic medicine titles have been heavily challenged or banned including Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe; Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka; Fun Home by Alison Bechdel; and more. 

This on-demand webinar discusses what graphic medicine is, what resources and titles are available, and how graphic medicine has been impacted by book challenges and bans. This on-demand webinar also includes examples of how public libraries are including graphic medicine in their programming and highlighting titles in their collections.

Recorded live on September 24, 2025.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this on-demand webinar, participants will be able to:

• Define graphic medicine and its uses for different audiences including providers, patients and their families, and the general public;
• Identify collection development and programming resources and strategies to include graphic medicine in your library’s outreach and education; and
• Discuss the uses and limitations of graphic medicine for health literacy, and strategies for emphasizing the strengths and addressing the weaknessesx .

Who Should Attend

This on-demand webinar is intended for public library staff including adult, teen, and children's librarians, and collection development and programming staff.

Panelist

Sarah Levin-Lederer, MPH, is a public health professional with eleven years of experience working in outreach, community engagement, and health education in a variety of settings. Currently, Sarah is an education and outreach coordinator with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Region 7 (NNLM R7), with a focus on graphic medicine and outreach to public health partners. Partner outreach and engagement activities include overseeing grantees, teaching online and in person, and program development. Before joining NNLM R7, Sarah worked for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health on health outreach to refugee and immigrant serving organizations, homeless serving organizations, and the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP). Coordinating the collaboration with FLP included creating and teaching programs for patrons and staff, writing public health emergency plans that included FLP as a response partner, and managing the creation and distribution of health information bookmarks.

Important Registration Information

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Redeem your signup code to complete your registration

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Accommodations

This on-demand webinar is closed captioned in English (United States).

If you have a physical or communication need that may affect your access to this on-demand webinar, please contact us at plawebinars@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752) prior to registering so we can attempt to provide appropriate accommodations.

Tech Requirements

To play this on-demand webinar you should use a browser with native HTML5 support. Please use the most up-to-date version available of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, or Edge. A fast Internet connection and computer is recommended.

Contact

This webinar is presented by the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

If you have questions or problems accessing a recording, send a message to plawebinars@ala.org or call 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752).