#8: Focus on Relationships with Jess Rohmann

Improvise Till You Make It!

Soon-to-be-Dr. Jess Rohman is an epidemiologist who believes as much in the value of improv as she does in the need for understanding and controlling the spread of disease, and even brings improv to the lecture hall as a tool for teaching her students through role play.

Her experience on-stage as an improvisor and off-stage as a scientist carefully navigating the incredibly complex world of scientific research have led her to the conclusion that relationships drive absolutely everything we do. Whether for making our characters' interactions relatable to an audience or for encouraging colleagues to cross-pollinate ideas and unlock "Eureka!" moments over pizza and cocktails, we explore the benefits of putting our relationships first, and strategies for creating environments where we focus on how we relate to one another in order to maximize what we achieve together.

Along the way, we encounter scientists engaged in a CSI style investigation into who is actually controlling the university's purse strings and what they're doing with the money, and learn about new-age methods for measuring success in a mathematics department whose Dean has unwittingly become part of an experiment himself.
Jess Rohman runs an Epidemiological Methods Colloquium for anyone interested in learning more about what Berlin's epidemiological society is actively involved in. Be sure to follow her on twitter at @JLRohmann where she tweets about science and improv. When she's not busy finishing up her Ph.D, You'll find her on an improv stage near you playing with the hilarious ComedyShorts Berlin.

As always, thanks for listening, and be sure to follow us on instagram at @henriandblake for a sneak peek of the next episode of "Improvise Till You Make It!" and to keep posted on all the exciting ways we continue to spread the improv mindset.