A resource and programs to enhance faculty, staff, and students’ communication to engage a diverse audience more effectively.
Mission of the Center for Health & Science Communication
The overarching mission of the Center for Health & Science Communication is to equip faculty, staff, and students of WUSM with essential tools, training, and resources, enabling them to excel as proficient and compelling communicators in their respective fields. This objective is accomplished through a multi-faceted approach.
Firstly, the center amplifies the influence of communication experts within WUSM by fostering collaborative programs and partnerships. Secondly, it facilitates the formation of collaborative networks aimed at augmenting the capacity for resources and training in the domains of science and health communication. Lastly, the center is dedicated to delivering tailored programs and services that respond to specific areas of interest and identified needs within the WUSM community, ensuring a comprehensive and dynamic support system for effective communication.
Focus for the Center
Over the past year, the Center for Health & Science Communication has focused on growth. In March 2023, Monica Sala-Rabanal, PhD, a specialist in science communication, was brought on board to enhance the organization’s outreach and complement its health communication services.
SciComm Seminars
Continuing the success of the SciComm Seminars, the center hosted five speakers in FY23, attracting an attendance of 226 participants. The Center for Health & Science Communication worked with The Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Center for Public Health Systems Science for two of the sessions. Interested individuals are encouraged to explore the Digital Commons collection for access to recordings of the seminars.
Communicating beyond the academy: Reaching policymakers and stakeholders
Beth Prusaczyk, PhD, MSW
Sept. 22, 2022
Attendance: 53
What’s your story? Using narratives to open science
Maryam Zaringhalam, PhD
Oct. 18, 2022
Attendance: 51
Social media engagement for healthcare workers
Rakhee K. Bhayani, MD
Nov. 8, 2022
Attendance: 31
How to craft a creative pitch
Cyril Loum
Jan. 24, 2023
Attendance: 48
The Translational Science Benefits Model: Moving beyond traditional measures of research impact
Stephanie Andersen
March 9, 2023
Attendance: 43
Average attendance: 45
Health Communication & Plain Language
The plain language review services provided by the center continued reviewing materials for various campus departments, encompassing 42 pages of patient decision aids, clinic handouts, and study recruitment and consent materials. In addition to conducting plain language reviews, the center’s health communication specialist engaged with over 140 attendees as an invited speaker and curriculum lecturer, addressing topics such as plain language, media literacy in health care, and effective communication strategies.
