Society Statements of Support

A Statement from the Society for Health Communication Leadership on the Importance of Building a Strong and Supportive Community  (February 2025)

The Society for Health Communication (SHC) is dedicated to advancing the science of health communication and promoting health equity. In these uncertain times, we remain deeply committed to this mission and our values, which guide our efforts to build a strong and supportive community of health communication professionals. We want to acknowledge that the actions of the current Presidential administration are directly impacting our members and our mission, and to stress that together we will continue to provide spaces for the exchange of ideas across disciplines to promote skill-building, learning, and meaningful action. Now, more than ever, we must stay connected, strengthen the health communication community, and leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to promote sound science, combat misinformation, and advance health equity for all people. 

We invite you to join us in supporting each other, public health, and health communication. Let’s unite to advocate for policies and actions that prioritize the health, safety, resilience, and the well-being of all people. 

To this end, we are taking steps to strengthen our impact in 2025:

  1. Increasing the sharing of professional opportunities across the field.
  2. Continuing to offer programming – including webinars and the Annual Summit – that addresses the most relevant issues that our field is facing at this time (e.g., generative AI, misinformation, community engagement). Please join us, if you can, at the June 2025 Summit.
  3. Launching “Suggestions for the Society” form for members to confidentially share thoughts and suggestions about ways to support our field. 

As a member of the Society, you can support our efforts by:

  • Sharing your feedback and recommendations using the “Suggestions for the Society” web form.
  • Engage with the Society on social media and encourage your colleagues to join.
  • Participate in upcoming Society webinars and attend the June 2025 Summit.

We are doing all of this to continue supporting SHC members and our field, which remains core to our Society mission.  Together, we can make a difference.

 

A Statement from the Society for Health Communication on the Importance of Evidence-Based Public Health Understanding and Action (August, 2020)

As health communication professionals and scholars, we are dedicated to providing clear, accurate, and actionable health information to all. We do this by connecting industries – public health groups, government, academia, the private sector, and others – and ensuring that health information is timely, accurate, and clearly communicated. Read the full statement.

 

A Statement from the Society for Health Communication on Anti-Black Racism in America (June, 2020)

The broad mandate of health communication is to engage, empower, serve, and improve health for all — but particularly those in greatest need. As an organization, we seek to harness the immense power of language to fulfill this purpose. Too often, we use terms such as “hard to reach” or “marginalized” when talking about Black communities. This language masks the reality that Black people are dying from violence, neglect, stress, racism, and general health threats that are the legacy of slavery. It also masks the white supremacy in this country and how resulting state-sanctioned violence, inflicted on black and brown bodies by white people in power, has gone unchecked for centuries...

Read the full statement

 

Impact Statement (February, 2017)

At the Society, we are committed to using evidence-based communication strategies to inform, empower, and motivate individuals and communities to lead healthier lives. Read our full impact statement