Episode 8: Matthew Noe - Comics, Patients, and the Power of Storytelling: The Fascinating World of Graphic Medicine

In this episode of The Shush-Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar speaks with Matthew Noe, a health sciences librarian at Harvard Medical School who specializes in graphic medicine. Matthew shares his path into librarianship, how comics became central to his professional identity, and why storytelling is such a powerful tool in health education.

They explore how graphic novels can deepen understanding of illness, support empathy in medical training, and create meaningful connections between clinicians, patients, and communities. Matthew also discusses building a major graphic medicine collection, fostering community through zines and book clubs, and teaching future librarians about the growing intersection of comics, health, and knowledge sharing.

About Matthew:

Matthew Noe is currently the Lead Collection & Knowledge Management Librarian at Harvard Medical School, an instructor for both the University of Kentucky and Library Juice Academy, and a Trustee for the Worcester Public Library. He is a former President for the American Library Association's Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table and the Treasurer for the Graphic Medicine International Collective. While continuing to take on far too many things, he tries to find time to be kind, do good, and read comics.

Find him on social media at @NoetheMatt or by e-mail: matthew_noe@hms.harvard.edu

Relevant Links:

• Graphic Medicine at Countway: https://countway.harvard.edu/services/collections/graphic-medicine-countway
• Graphic Medicine International Collective: https://www.graphicmedicine.org/
• American Library Association, Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table: https://www.ala.org/gncrt
• Syllabus by Lynda Barry: https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/syllabus/
• Ripple Effects - an award-winning work of graphic medicine by Jordan Hart and Bruno Chiroleu, published by Fanbase Press. Matthew provided a foreword: https://fanbasepress.com/publishing/item/11960-ripple-effects/
• Gender Queer: The Annotated Edition by Maia Kobabe - Matthew provided annotations for this upcoming special edition: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Gender-Queer-The-Annotated-Edition/Maia-Kobabe/Gender-Queer-A-Memoir/9798894880822
• Library Juice Academy, Introduction to Comics Librarianship course: https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/337-introduction-to-comics-librarianship/
• More about that smoky tea, called lapsang souchong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong