Tell us about your organization. How big is your team? Where are you based? What is your organization’s specialty in the film and video space?
Burrell College of Health Sciences is a private health sciences institution with campuses in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Melbourne, Florida. Through its School of Osteopathic Medicine and School of Health Professions, the College is focused on educating the next generation of physicians and healthcare professionals while improving access to care in the communities it serves.
Our Marketing and Communications team is a small, highly collaborative team of three that supports the entire institution across multiple campuses, schools and programs. Despite our size, we produce a wide range of creative work, including brand storytelling, social media, public relations, digital marketing, photography and video.
In the film and video space, our specialty is authentic, human-centered storytelling. We focus on telling the stories of our students, alumni, faculty and communities in a way that connects audiences to the mission and impact of Burrell College. Our work ranges from short-form social content and institutional campaigns to alumni profiles, documentary-style features and mission-driven stories highlighting healthcare education and community impact.
Because we are a small in-house team, we approach video strategically—combining strong storytelling, thoughtful interviews and compelling visuals to create content that feels personal, polished and meaningful. Winning a Telly Award is especially significant for our team because it recognizes the creativity and storytelling we are able to produce while supporting the broader communications needs of a growing health sciences institution.
Why do you do what you do? Was there a transformative moment that solidified your career choice, your org’s success, or your commitment to storytelling?
I have always believed in the power of storytelling to help people understand one another, to inspire action and to give meaning to the work happening around us. Throughout my career, storytelling has been at the center of what I do, but working in healthcare education has given that work an even deeper sense of purpose.
I have the privilege of telling the stories of physicians, future physicians and healthcare professionals — people who are caring for us, treating us and, in many cases, saving lives. I get to meet students at the beginning of their journeys, follow them as they grow into physicians and then see the impact they make in communities across the country. Being trusted to help tell those stories is something I never take for granted.
There wasn’t one single transformative moment as much as there was a realization over time: the stories we tell can have an impact far beyond a video, a social media post or a campaign. A story can inspire a future student to pursue medicine, help a community understand the importance of access to healthcare, or allow a physician to reflect on the lives they have touched.
That is what keeps me committed to this work. At Burrell College of Health Sciences, we are not simply telling stories about an institution — we are documenting people who have chosen careers dedicated to helping others. To me, there is no greater privilege as a storyteller.
Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?
Our Telly Award-winning piece, Burrell College: Harnessing Horsepower to Teach Student Doctors Compassion, tells the story of Dr. Mary Lacaze, an oncologist and educator at Burrell College whose lifelong passion for horses has shaped the way she teaches future physicians.
What drew us to this story was the unexpected connection between equestrianism and medicine. Dr. Lacaze uses lessons learned from working with horses — trust, patience, non-verbal communication and empathy — to help medical students better understand how they communicate with and care for their patients. Those same lessons become a gateway to larger conversations about cultural humility, healthcare disparities and patient-centered care.
From a storytelling perspective, we knew immediately that this was more than a faculty profile. It was a visually compelling and deeply human way to show what compassionate medical education can look like. The horses gave us a beautiful visual setting, but the heart of the piece is really about connection — learning to listen, observe and build trust even when words are not enough.
That is what made this story so special to us. It reflects the kind of storytelling we strive to create at Burrell College: stories that introduce audiences to remarkable people while also revealing something meaningful about medicine, education and the responsibility physicians have to truly understand the people they serve.
Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?
One of the biggest challenges was that Dr. Lacaze was incredibly nervous about being interviewed on camera. At first, you could really feel that tension, and we knew we needed to find a way to help her feel more comfortable and natural.
The turning point came when she was around the horse. Almost immediately, she relaxed. Her body language changed, her personality came through, and the conversation became much more authentic. We realized that instead of fighting the nerves, we could use the environment to our advantage.
In a way, it perfectly mirrored the message of the story itself. Dr. Lacaze talks about how horses teach us to pay attention to non-verbal communication, trust and connection — and we saw that happening in real time during the shoot. Once she was with the horse, we were able to capture the genuine warmth and passion that ultimately made the piece so special.
What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?
One of our biggest production challenges was technical. We were still learning how to use some of our newer equipment, including our drone and gimbal camera, and we wanted to make sure we captured the story without losing important moments while troubleshooting gear.
Our solution was simple: always have a backup. We also used our iPhones throughout the shoot so we could keep filming even when the more advanced equipment slowed us down. In the end, it became a great reminder that storytelling is not about having the most expensive equipment — it is about being prepared, being adaptable and knowing how to capture the moment.
That flexibility helped us stay focused on the story while also giving our team valuable hands-on experience with new production tools.
What are you most proud of about this piece? What is the most memorable response you got from this work?
What I’m most proud of is that the piece changed the perspective of the person at the center of the story. Dr. Lacaze was initially very uncomfortable with the idea of being interviewed and having her story told on camera. But after she saw the finished piece, she became a believer in the power of storytelling. That was incredibly meaningful to me.
The most memorable response was seeing her recognize that the story wasn’t simply about putting her in front of a camera — it was about capturing who she is, what she believes in and why her approach to teaching future physicians matters.
For me personally, this project also brought together two chapters of my career. I spent many years as a television reporter, where storytelling was at the heart of everything I did, and today I have the opportunity to bring those same skills into higher education and healthcare communications.
This piece reminded me that great storytelling is timeless. The platform may change — television, social media, digital video or something we haven’t imagined yet — but the fundamentals remain the same: find the human connection, earn someone’s trust and tell a story that makes people feel something.
You won a Telly Award for this piece. Why is recognition important for you, your team or your work?
Recognition like a Telly Award is meaningful because it validates the work, creativity and care that goes into telling these stories — especially for a small team like ours.
We are constantly balancing many priorities, so when a piece like this is recognized, it reminds us that thoughtful storytelling can have real impact. It also reinforces that you do not need a huge production team to create something meaningful. You need a strong story, trust from the people involved and a team that cares about telling it well.
For me personally, the recognition also affirms the importance of bringing a journalistic approach to healthcare and higher education storytelling. It tells us that these stories matter beyond our institution and that there is value in sharing the human side of medicine and medical education.
Most of all, the award belongs to the entire team and to Dr. Lacaze for trusting us with her story. Recognition is rewarding, but what matters most is that the work connected with people — and that is ultimately why we do it.
Tell us what you’re up to! If there’s a new project, launch, or milestone you’d like us to celebrate with you, let us know, and we might share it with our community.
There is a lot happening at Burrell College of Health Sciences right now. We are continuing to grow as an institution, expanding our programs, strengthening our presence across our campuses in New Mexico and Florida, and preparing the next generation of physicians and healthcare professionals.
From a storytelling perspective, that growth gives our team an incredible opportunity. We are continuing to develop more documentary-style stories featuring our students, faculty and alumni — especially graduates who are now practicing medicine and making an impact in communities across the country.
We are also excited to tell more stories from our School of Health Professions as new programs develop and new students begin their journeys in healthcare.
For our small Marketing and Communications team, the goal is to keep pushing ourselves creatively while staying focused on what matters most: finding the people behind the institution and telling their stories in ways that are authentic, meaningful and memorable. Winning a Telly Award has encouraged us to keep raising the bar.
