The Professor Using Film to Increase Empathy Among Patients with Dementia and Their Caregivers

Can film help build empathy in health care? That was the task at hand for Distinguished Lecturer in English and Media Studies Jeff Stern, who cowrote and directed Dottie, a new short film about dementia, for New Hampshire nonprofit Articine, which uses the arts to help providers deliver more empathetic patient care.

“I’m proud to have worked on something that’s very relevant and that’s useful in the world,” says Stern, who showed the finished project in his classes and brought in cast and crew to discuss the business side of movie making. “It got my students excited about film and the media industry."

“I was excited to be a part of a project that was quite different from my typical business-focused classes and internships,” says Hailey Jennato ’23, who worked on the film’s crew alongside her brother Hayden ’27. Dottie, which is making the rounds on the film festival circuit, was also screened for the public in Wilder Auditorium in collaboration with the Center for Health and Business.

“It was a really fun experience to work with Professor Stern in a professional setting, rather than in the classroom. I was able to learn so much from him and the entire crew, as well as form great connections and gather insights into the film and television industry,” continues Jennato, who studied Marketing at Bentley with a second major in Media Arts and Society and is now the manager of innovation and science at Boston-based Force Factor. “I also enjoyed seeing how Professor Stern applied the concepts and skills he taught in class to a real production.”

Watch the trailer for Dottie.