Articles by Sara Rattigan, Communications Director
Sara Rattigan, M.S. is the communications director for The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and a public health communicator whose passion has always centered around innovative approaches to health education and health promotion for youth of all ages. Before joining The Clay Center, Sara served as a health communications specialist at the MA Department of Public Health (MDPH), working with epidemiologists and industrial hygienists to use data findings to inform injury prevention intervention.
At MDPH, Sara had the honor of project managing and creatively contributing to Getting Hurt Is Not In Your Job Description, a Massachusetts statewide social marketing campaign to raise awareness among young workers about injury prevention and their rights and responsibilities on the job. After MDPH, she went on to provide oversight, at Harvard University, for a range of high-level Title IX projects specific to sexual and gender-based harassment education, prevention, and response, including project managing the adaptation of an undergraduate online training module for multiple graduate schools across the University.
Sara received her M.S. in health communication from Tufts University School of Medicine, and her B.A. in theatre arts from Fordham University’s College at Lincoln Center, with minors in communications and media studies, and creative writing.
To learn more about Sara, or to contact her directly, please see Our Team.The Loneliest Generation: What’s Up With Gen Z? – Shrinking It Down
November 6, 2019
The Loneliest Generation: What’s Up With Gen Z? – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down”! Data suggest that Generation Z, the teens and young adults coming of age right now, feels lonelier than any other age group. But we don’t know why. Is it a symptom of digital and social media or the hyper-scheduling of […]
Stay In Shape: Kids’ Bodies Feed Their Minds – Shrinking It Down
October 23, 2019
Stay In Shape: Kids’ Bodies Feed Their Minds – Shrinking It Down
How can we guide children to healthfully navigate food, fitness, sleep, and more (especially when Takis® taste so much better than eggs for breakfast)? These aren’t just important for physical health but mental health, as well. The MGH Stay In Shape Program for elementary and middle school students, going on 20 years strong, is one solution that’s benefited several communities in Massachusetts. In today’s episode, special guest Ming Sun, MCHES, of MGH Community Health Associates, joins host Steve Schlozman, MD to share more about Stay In Shape – including strategies to help kids set […]
Money + Mental Health: Supporting Young Adult Children, With Limits – Shrinking It Down
October 9, 2019
Money + Mental Health: Supporting Young Adult Children, With Limits – Shrinking It Down
If you’re a parent, you’ve likely spent time thinking about your child’s future after age 18. Whether it’s going to college, finding a job, finding an apartment – taking that first step towards independence is ultimately tied to…money! Where that money should come from is a complicated issue, and it’s not the same issue […]
When Kids Talk of Suicide – Shrinking It Down
September 25, 2019
When Kids Talk of Suicide – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” As the summer fades and we move into Autumn, activities in our lives start to build up and so can the stress. Perhaps this is one reason that September is national Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It’s an unsettling topic, but in […]
Summer Challenge: Come Together for Mental Health – Shrinking It Down
June 5, 2019
Summer Challenge: Come Together for Mental Health – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” We shouldn’t need science to tell us that getting together with other people is beneficial. Still, the science is pretty fascinating, and in the data-driven age in which we live, knowledge is power! In this episode, Steve and Gene dig into […]
Illuminating Mental Health Through Art – Shrinking It Down
May 22, 2019
Illuminating Mental Health Through Art – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” At the Clay Center, we often stress the importance of creativity for supporting healthy youth development and community relationships. So, we’re thrilled to have socially engaged multimedia artist Elisa H. Hamilton join Gene and Steve in today’s episode! Elisa is a visiting artist with the […]
Self-Care for Resilience – Shrinking It Down
May 7, 2019
Self-Care for Resilience – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” Did you know Ellen enjoys boxing for self-care, and that Gene depends on daily interactions with his dog, Bear? This week is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week! What better way to celebrate than by focusing on self-care, and on building resilience […]
Understanding ADHD – Shrinking It Down
April 25, 2019
Understanding ADHD – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” We all get distracted and disorganized. Today, it seems more than ever with digital media consuming our lives. We bet you’ve even wondered, at some point in your life, whether you might have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Heck – do […]
It’s the Time of the Season for… Mental Illness – Shrinking It Down
April 18, 2019
It’s the Time of the Season for… Mental Illness – Shrinking It Down
Tune in wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” Flowers are blooming. People are smiling. On the surface, it seems as if spring is the sweetest season of all. And while it is rejuvenating and joyful in many ways, it’s also associated with the highest rates of psychiatric issues. Gene […]
Discipline and Punishment – Shrinking It Down
March 27, 2019
Discipline and Punishment – Shrinking It Down
Listen wherever you get your podcasts – just search for “Shrinking It Down.” Punishment. It’s not the most fun part of the job, but parents know they have a responsibility to discipline their kids when they do something that’s not right – stealing, hitting, staying out past curfew. But how do you make the punishment […]
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