University of Miami doctoral student Nicole Jacobsen never imagined she’d end up in healthcare, art or education — much less in an interdisciplinary career that combined all three.
With her picture book series, “Leo Learns About Healthcare,” Jacobsen endeavored to help children feel more comfortable in healthcare settings.
“I wanted the books to just open the door for conversation in any way, shape or form for families … and to make hospitals and medical procedures seem less scary,” said Jacobsen. “Everyone always says children are scared of the unknown, [but] adults are, too. So, if they kind of know what they’re getting themselves into, maybe it would just ease a bit of anxiety and then that will help them in every way possible.”
Jacobsen combined personal and professional experience in her series. In the books, Leo — the protagonist, named after her nephew and godson — isn’t a patient. He’s an ordinary kid who goes into medical settings with an open mind, excited to learn about specific fields.
“I always just want to teach [my nephew] about all the things the world has to offer,” said Jacobsen. “I just wrote a little book about radiation therapy just so he would know what it is.”
When the first installment, “Leo Learns About Radiation Therapy,” took off in her community, what started as a pet project blossomed into a full-fledged series. What started as a standalone became the first in a pentology, followed by “Leo Learns About Mental Health,” “Leo Learns About Hospitals,” “Leo Learns About CT Scans” and “Leo Learns About MRI Scans.”
To enter a creative field she had no knowledge of, Jacobsen sought advice from several children’s book authors and illustrators. Her own process involved rewrite after rewrite to ensure stories remained both educational and light-hearted, oftentimes seeking out young beta readers for feedback.
“I try to just get inside a younger person’s brain, if I can,” she explained.
Apart from alleviating fear ahead of medical visits, Jacobsen hopes her series might introduce children to careers they might have never known about otherwise.
“I didn’t know about radiation therapy until I Googled it when I was 21 years old,” said Jacobsen. “And it’s a really fruitful career among all the health sciences, of course.”
Jacobsen has worked in radiation therapy for 18 years. A New York native, she trained and then spent eight years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“I treated a lot of pediatric patients over the years [at Memorial Sloan], which is not that common for my field,” said Jacobsen. “It’s not for everyone, but I actually loved it more than anything. To get a child to trust you is really a very special [role] that you get to play in their life.”
In 2021, Jacobsen moved to Miami for a position at UM’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center before traveling as a therapy professional. Upon her return, she accepted a role as Miami Dade College’s radiation therapy program director and clinical coordinator.
Her big shift into education next landed her in UM’s doctoral education program. There, the program’s focus on combining psychological thinking with the teaching process helped “spark the idea” for the series. At 41 years old, Jacobsen said finally gaining admission to UM was a “bucket list item.”
“I’m a big University of Miami fan generally, so I’m just so happy that I can be completing it there,” said Jacobsen. “People tell you you can’t go back to school … you so can, and I’m so happy I did. I hope that inspires people to continue their education at any time, any age in their life, if it’s what they want to do.”
Jacobsen has five more installments in the works, and she’s currently creating Spanish translations of the existing five.
Though Jacobsen encountered her share of imposter syndrome while starting out as an author, she’s adamant it’s never too late to try something new.
“Every time you try something, it’s never a failure because you learn something from it,” said Jacobsen. “What you put out there is what you get…and as long as you try, there’s no fault in that. If I gave up every time I tried something new, I never would have landed here where I am in my life now.”