Health Comm Lecture Series

Department sponsors distinguished lecture
series in Health Communication

Shawn Bowling
Public Relations senior

The Health Communication concentration successfully concluded its first "Distinguished Speaker Series" this semester, and assistant professor Mohan Dutta-Bergman is already planning the next one.

The Speakers

Five speakers from different universities shared their fields of expertise in formal and informal settings during the semester.

This series was a way to broaden the horizons of students by exposing them to a diverse group of experts on different issues in health communication, as well as giving Purdue faculty the chance to see research in other ways, said Dutta-Bergman.

Dutta-Bergman said the department and coordinators plan on using the same model next time, but they hope to incorporate other units of the department, such as Media Technology and Society, and Interpersonal Communication.

Graduate student Erin Lukesh said the lecture series gave her a unique crash course in diverse theoretical orientations from a number of well-respected health scholars. "We covered everything from conversation analysis to medical ethics to media-based health promotion," she said. "I was most intrigued by the scholars' visions of what the future holds for health communication theory and practice, and I was most pleasantly surprised by the accessibility and candor of each scholar during the lectures and our office hour discussions."

Dutta-Bergman said they had lots of positive feedback on the series. Many thanked the coordinators for giving them the opportunity to be exposed to Health Communication through such a broad array of perspectives.

The speakers participated in a series of activities while at Purdue. To introduce their topics to the Purdue community and the general public, they gave speeches at an afternoon forum. They were treated to receptions in their honor, at which faculty and graduate students could come and discuss issues dealing with their research in a one-on-one setting. To conclude their visits, the speakers gave lectures to graduate student courses.

Graduate director Steve Wilson and Airhihenbuwa at reception

Among those topics discussed were: "From Theory and Research to Practice in Health Communication with Older Adults" by Jon Nussbaum from Pennsylvania State; "Ethics, Globalization and Health Policy" by Daniel Callahan from Harvard Medical School; "Communication Theory and Health Behavior Change" by John Finnegan from University of Minnesota; "Conversation Analysis in Health Care Setting" by John Heritage from UCLA; and "Health and Culture: Beyond the Western Paradigm" by Collins Airhihenbuwa from Pennsylvania State.

For more information

Health Comm at Purdue

Mohan Dutta-Bergman

Health Communication became an official degree in 2001. Beth Buenger said the promise of the lecture series was a factor in her decision to stay at Purdue to pursue a Ph.D.

"The series lived up to my expectations, providing excellent opportunities to learn from and network with renowned visiting scholars from a variety of health-related areas," she said. "I benefited from the many diverse perspectives and gained research ideas for the future."