Medical research participants need to reflect the diversity of communities across the United States to drive health care innovation that benefits everyone. However, medical research has historically underrepresented members of populations from diverse backgrounds or those with complex diseases. Consequently, we know less about the overall health, effective treatments, and disease prevention for these populations often left out of medical research, and as a result health care often uses a one-size-fits-all approach. 

To fill this gap, the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program is working to enroll one million or more participants in a longitudinal research program and is prioritizing enrollment of members of communities historically underrepresented in medical research. All of Us is working to develop a robust dataset that researchers can use to accelerate health research and medical breakthroughs, enabling individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all of us.

Engaging Populations Underrepresented in Medical Research and Health Care Providers

Many populations underrepresented in medical research have been stigmatized, mistreated, and ignored by the scientific community. Appropriately engaging members of these communities is critical to ensure that individuals make informed decisions about enrolling and remaining in All of Us. One strategy All of Us is using is to collaborate with trusted intermediaries, like health care providers and community-based organizations.

January 19, 2023 – The Society for Health Communication, a member-driven organization working to advance the science of health communication, has re-elected Michael Grela, EVP, Head of Reputation and Social Impact, Evoke Kyne as its 2023 President and Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD, Vice President and Director, Center on Equity Research, NORC at the University of Chicago as its 2023 Vice President, and elected Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHES, President and Co-Founder, CommunicateHealth as its new Member-at-Large. 

The trio will partner with the Society’s Steering Committee, Advisory Board and Executive Director Diane Brodalski to advance the mission and goals of the Society through networking opportunities, information and best practice sharing, educational trainings, webinars and events. Grela is responsible for overseeing its Steering Committee and partnering with Johnson-Turbes to set and achieve its long-term strategic, diversity, equity and inclusion, and overall growth goals. Robison will focus on organizational member engagement and retention, and management of its Advisory Board.

“Outstanding vision and leadership! I’m thrilled that Michael and Ashani will continue for another year in their roles and pleased to welcome Stacy as our new Member-at-Large,” said Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH, Founder, Society for Health Communication, and Professor and Dean, The University of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communication. “With these leaders at the helm, I’m confident that the Society will expand its critical role as the leading voice for health communication, as it continues to deliver meaningful impact within the field and beyond.”

When I was an undergraduate studying abroad in South Africa, I learned about the Zulu word ubuntu, which roughly translates to “I am because we are.” It’s a simple but profound idea: we each become who we are because we’re inextricably interconnected to others around us. Ubuntu became a refrain I used to guide my choices toward the greater good: pursuing a career in public health, getting involved in political activism, volunteering for vaccine clinical trials, and most recently, donating a kidney to a stranger. 

Donating an organ to a someone you don’t know is also called “nondirected” or “altruistic” donation. Lots of people have asked what motivated me to donate a kidney — incorrectly assuming I must have a loved one in need. The real reason I donated is simple: thousands of people on the transplant waitlist die every year waiting for a kidney, yet most of us have two perfectly good ones. This was a way for me to set empathy and altruism into action.

Living kidney donation is a life-saving act of altruism. You can donate a kidney to someone you know, or to a stranger in need. Kidney transplants from living donors generally have better outcomes for the recipient, and donors can go on to live normal healthy lives with 1 kidney. 

September 6, 2022 – The Society for Health Communication, a non-profit organization of more than 4,000 professionals working to advance the science and practice of health communication, applauds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s recent reorganization announcement by its Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. The Society for Health Communcation urges the leaders of the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services to fully embrace the science of health communication and to significantly increase its health communication infrastructure investments. The CDC should recognize health communication as more than a service. Health Communication is a multidisciplinary field of study and practice, grounded in science and evidence, and commited to promoting health equity. 

In addition to working to simplify public guidance and increaseits workforce diversity, the Society for Health Communication believes CDC’s independence from politics and reinvestment in public health systems at the national, state, territorial, and local levels is crucial to reestablishing CDC as our nation’s premier public health agency.   

“Accurate, reliable, timely, and actionable information from trusted scientists and decision makers are the building blocks of public health and are critical to guiding and protectingAmericans during health emergencies,” said Michael Grela, President, Society for Health Communication. “The CDC reorganization is an important opportunity to reestablish health communication as a multi-disciplinary field to help address mis- and dis-information, the lack of trust and confidence in evidence-based, public health science, and the significanthealthcare disparities that prevent all Americans from achieving their best possible health.”

About the Society for Health Communication
The Society for Health Communication is a member-drivenorganization bringing together health communication professionals and scholars to create meaningful connections, share knowledge and exchange best practices across disciplines, promote health equity, and advance the science of health communication. The Society is a movement. Join by visiting www.hcsociety.org and following us on Twitter @HealthCommSoc and LinkedIn @Society-for-Health-Communication.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of planning and moderating a panel entitled “Coming Back from COVID: How Do We Rebuild Trust in Health Communication?” at the Society for Health Communication annual Summit. In its sixth year, the Summit is an exciting time to see old friends (this year, back in person!), make new ones, and hear from great leaders in the field of communication.

The goal – candidly and honestly hear from leaders in the field about what we have and have not done right as health communicators these past few years and help outline what we need to do now. When planning this I knew this topic would not be without its challenges, and I knew we needed the right people to talk about this. They needed to represent a variety of industries – government, academia, corporate – and be experts in the field, which led me to:

• Jay Bernhardt, PhD, Professor and Dean, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin; Founder, Society for Health Communication
• Darcy Sawatzki, MA, EVP, Head of Public Health, Evoke Kyne
• Matthew McCurdy, MPH, Co-Founder, BLKHLTH

Edited excerpt from my opening remarks at the 6th Annual National Summit for Health Communication on June 14, 2022.

Welcome everyone to our 6th Annual National Summit for Health Communication, live and in-person for the first time since 2019, here in steamy Austin, Texas! Also, it's Pride month, so Happy Pride everyone!

My name is Michael Grela and I am the Head of Reputation and Social Impact for Evoke Kyne, a global, health communications agency, and I’m also the President of the Society for Health Communication, working alongside Ashani, Diane, Shelly, Jay, and many others.

Appointments reflect continued organizational growth and essential role of health communicators

February 7, 2022 – The Society for Health Communication, a member-driven organization working to advance the science of health communication, has elected Michael Grela, EVP, Head of Reputation and Social Impact, Evoke KYNE, as its 2022 President, and re-elected Shelly Spöeth, Principal Associate, Abt Associates, as its 2022 Member-at-Large. Grela is responsible for overseeing its newly-expanded Steering Committee and partnering with Executive Director Diane Brodalski and leadership to set and achieve its member engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion, and overall growth goals. Spöeth will focus on organizational member engagement and retention, and management of its Advisory Board.

Society for Health Communication Elects Ashani Johnson-Turbes as 2022 Vice President

March 29, 2022 – The Society for Health Communication, a member-driven organization working to advance the science of health communication, has elected Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD, Senior Fellow, NORC at the University of Chicago, as its 2022 Vice President. Since joining the Society’s Steering Committee in 2020, Johnson-Turbes has actively supported the planning and execution of its 2020 and 2021 Annual Summits, the equitable expansion and diversification of its Steering Committee, all with a passion for health equity, health communication and research-based health interventions. 

She will work closely with recently-elected 2022 President Michael Grela and Member-at-Large Shelly Spöeth, Executive Director Diane Brodalski, and expanded Steering Committee to help achieve the Society’s member engagement and retention, diversity, equity and inclusion, and overall growth goals. 

“Over the past two years Ashani has made significant contributions to the Society, already serving as a trusted partner and leader of our work,” said Michael Grela, President, Society of Health Communication and EVP, Head of Reputation & Social Impact, Evoke KYNE. “I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Ashani to our Executive Leadership Team as we come together to advance health equity and positively contribute to the field of health communication.”

Originally published by: CommunicateHealth
Originally published on: January 21, 2021

 

Now that folks are starting to get COVID-19 vaccines, many people are eagerly awaiting their turn in line. But because the first 2 COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are a new type — called mRNA vaccines — lots of people also have questions about how they work.

Originally published by: JSI
Original author: Kate Bagshaw and Nicole Davis
Originally published on: January 29, 2020

 

Originally published by: American Medical Writers Association
Originally published on: July 15, 2019

 

Until recently, most writers in the field of medical communication entered the field without formal training. Some started out with scientific or medical degrees and previously worked as scientists, physicians, or pharmacists before transitioning into medical writing. Others began as journalists and built a career by writing about health and medicine. 

Now, you can start a career in medical communication by taking medical writing courses that culminate in a degree specific to this field. You can also advance in the medical writing field by going back to school and earning an undergraduate or graduate degree.

Which degree programs include medical writing courses?

Most degree programs in medical writing culminate in one of the following degrees.

Originally published by: Van Eperen
Originally published on: December 20, 2020

We are beyond our time to move the needle on increasing Black and brown representation in the workplace, specifically in the C-suite and corporate boards. And that’s one reason we recently attended the webinar Racial Equity in Business: How To Get Results By Being Color Brave, hosted by the Baltimore Business Journal, where business leaders led a transparent and transformative conversation on what it means to be color brave and how to uphold your business and the workplace to these standards.
Here are key takeaways from the discussion on how to create and maintain color brave organizations, how to increase and retain Black and brown representation in the workplace including in senior-level positions, and the benefits of diversity within work environments.

1. What does it mean to be color brave?

   Being color brave means you make a space for candid conversations about race that can help us better understand each other’s perspectives and life experiences. Color brave doesn’t mean you gloss over race issues and avoid these conversations, instead you welcome these conversations and approach them with unbiased opinions, an authentic mindset, curiosity, and interest to learn about your differences.

2. Change your “narrative” and “thought process.”
   To be color brave, you must first change your “narrative” and “thought process.” You can’t be an organization that’s part of the movement with same mindset and perception as before. Business leaders must assess what they do know and what they don’t know. Look deeper and address situations that will make a difference. Build healthy habits that create a two-way conversation between leadership and employees. Discuss the future of your organization, show your commitment to your employees, a diverse workplace, and the BLM movement.
   

Originally published by: CommunicateHealth
Originally published on: December 3, 2020

 

If you’re like us, dear readers, you’ve been eagerly following updates on COVID-19 vaccine trials. But of course, any benefit from a vaccine depends on people actually getting it. And the latest Gallup poll has the percentage of Americans who say they would do so at just under 60. So we’ve got some work to do on this front!

Originally published by: JSI
Original author: Jessica Holli & Clancey Bateman
Originally published on: October 6, 2020

 

In 2020, we are flooded with messages fighting for our attention, time, and money. Public health campaigns have to compete with the up to 5,000 advertisements and messages that individuals receive every day. How can we, as health communicators, cut through the noise to reach our audiences with important information about health topics?

Originally published by: American Institutes for Research
Original author: Trent Sharp
Originally published on: September 10, 2020

As part of my technical assistance work at AIR, I spent this summer meeting with a team of 10 principals in Austin, Texas. This group has worked to leverage their collective impact initiative, called NACER, as they responded to the coronavirus pandemic and the moral imperatives that have surfaced through the Black Lives Matter movement. Being a principal is complex work under normal circumstances. These days, the magnitude of the job is hard to wrap your head around.

Our weekly virtual meetings have been wide-ranging. Beyond core academics and student services, we regularly grappled with issues surrounding food distribution, utility assistance, health screenings, contact tracing, housing vulnerability, transportation, coronavirus-induced student migration and teacher shortages, and shepherding anti-racist professional development—just to name a few. The principals’ stories offer a glimpse into how multiple systems overlap inequitably across communities. After each meeting, I was reminded of the decades of educational research showing how student learning is nested within and shaped by place-specific “geographies of educational opportunity” that advantage some and disadvantage others.

Originally published by: CommunicateHealth
Originally published on: August 20, 2020

Originally published by: JSI
Originally published on: July 29, 2020

 

JSI senior consultant and JSI Research & Training board member Bisola O. Ojikutu has published two opinion pieces on the impending COVID-19 vaccines and their potential effect on Black and Latinx communities.

Originally published by: ICF Next
Original author: Vijay Madyastha and Caroline Bostwick
Originally published on: July 22, 2020

Understanding the correlation to behavior with Protected Health Information constraints.