2. Social Connections Program
  3. LIVE Bluebook Course

LIVE Bluebook Course

Course Overview

Loneliness has been called an epidemic, and social disconnection is a major problem for older adults, affecting cognition, physical health, mental health, and even mortality. The LIVE Bluebook elective, led by Dr. Jason Burnett and offered through the Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, gives medical students a different way of learning about aging and social medicine—through real, one on one relationships instead of just lectures.

In LIVE, students are paired with socially isolated older adults for weekly phone calls that go beyond small talk. Through these intimate conversations, students hear about daily life, struggles, and joys, and they practice having difficult conversations about topics that often carry stigma. Along the way, they build empathy-based communication and psychosocial assessment skills, supported by guided reflection and feedback sessions that help them understand their impact on another person’s life.

Why This Course Is Unique

  • Learn social medicine in a hand-on, interpersonal, human way, not just in a classroom.
  • Gain confidence talking with older adults about challenging topics and real-world problems.
  • See how “little” conversations, 30 to 60 minutes can change someone’s sense of being seen, heard, and valued.
  • Help bridge the gap between medical knowledge and the lived experience of aging in the community.

What You’ll Gain

  • Stronger skills in listening, empathy, and difficult conversations
  • A deeper understanding of how social isolation and loneliness affect health
  • Insight into the social factors that shape older adults’ functioning and well being
  • Experiences you can carry into any field of medicine

Program Details

Start Date: August 2026

Course Format: Weekly social phone calls plus structured reflection/feedback sessions

Eligibility: Open to medical students at UTHealth Houston

Interested in joining LIVE?

Email [email protected] with your name and class year, and our team will follow up with enrollment details.