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Young Health Communication program
By Kathryn Bennett The department's young Health Communication unit is adding senior faculty and conducting innovative research that is becoming front-page news around the world The reward: the 3-year-old program was recently named the eighth best in the country. The ranking, which was determined by the National Communication Association in November, demonstrates the rapid success of a developing program and has resulted in positive publicity throughout the academic community, said Department Head Howard Sypher. Professor Austin Babrow said such a ranking reflects faculty competence; even though Purdue's program is in its infant stages, it is already in a dominant academic position. "We have, in this area of health specifically, about as broad-ranging faculty in health communication as you're going to find around the country, and we have people interested across a very wide range of issues in health communication." New addition A new addition to the faculty coming in the fall 2005 is Dr. Susan Morgan, currently an associate professor at Rutgers University. Morgan's expertise is in the area of constructing theory-driven persuasive messages in health communication campaigns. She is currently the principal investigator on grants totaling $4 million and has published nearly 25 articles and book chapters on research from organ donation to intercultural communication. Sypher said Morgan is a key addition to the program, which uses an interdisciplinary approach to study communication behavior relating to modern health concerns. "I think the unit has begun building a strong foundation for graduate student interest; I think that the unit faculty members have been active nationally and internationally in a variety of projects to build their reputation," he said.
"It's an exciting time." Industry initiatives Associate Professor Marifran Mattson said Purdue's involvement in a diverse array of health initiatives and organizations differentiates it from other institutions. "Purdue has taken a prominent role in the growing field of health communication by being active in both local and national health projects and by continuing to grow our health communication program to educate and train health communication practitioners and scholars of the future," said Mattson, who spent a sabbatical year working for the CDC in Atlanta. Setting trends
In addition to these important contributions to industry, Purdue's program boasts a strong research and theoretical base that is setting trends for academic institutions across the nation. One leading researcher in the department is Assistant Professor Mohan Dutta-Bergman. Dutta-Bergman's research projects examine health behavior as it relates to the media. A recent study he conducted received international attention in more than 20 media outlets as it questioned basic assumptions about traditional health campaign methods. The study, which was spawned from the analysis of two comprehensive lifestyle studies, found that health campaigns are more effective when applied to existing entertainment media. Health communicators typically rely on newspapers and other traditional sources rather than incorporating health messages into daily programming, said Dutta-Bergman. "We need to look at health campaigns and expand them from the domain of thinking about them as vehicles for passing out information … to make healthy behaviors look more sexy, more appealing," he said. "This way, your average six-pack Joe sees the message of health in television programming embedded within entertainment programming that he sees, and not just something coming from preachy articles that in most cases he's not likely to see." Dutta-Bergman said health communication is branching out as a discipline and more influential people are beginning to care about advocating healthy behavior. Media content is focusing on health behaviors more than before, he said. For example, the Hollywood Coalition for Healthy Living promotes health messages in entertainment media. Network programming, such as the show "Friends," also attempt to advocate healthy living. Local concerns Purdue researchers also study those trends unique to rural areas in Indiana. Faculty members are attempting to find more effective campaign strategies to target the often ignored rural societies. "In Indiana, there is a tremendous need, especially in terms of trying to reach out to the rural areas," said Dutta-Bergman.
"The really sad part is that we are so focused on doing what we typically do … we have for decades used newspapers to use health messages … such that we really don't think about people who are underserved, we don't prioritize that." Medical community Health communicators at Purdue are not strictly concerned with targeting health messages to the general public, however. Mattson has conducted research targeting the medical community. Her team of researchers chose to examine effective communication between gynecologists and their patients, a subject she said has been largely ignored. As a result of her research, health communicators are assisting gynecologists by providing communication workshops, conferences and training sessions. "They (gynecologists) need to take the time to adapt to each woman's individual coping styles, treat women with respect and maintain open communication with them during the exam," she said. "Although many women prefer a female gynecologist, they must keep in mind that female doctors were educated and trained in a male dominant system and do not always exhibit communication that women find supportive." Campus Initiatives Health Communication faculty members are involved in numerous campus programs, collaborating on research projects with members of the colleges of technology, science, nursing and business. They are integral partners in an upcoming health communication conference in Beijing, said Sypher. Purdue professors are also teaming with the CDC and leaders at Eli Lilly and Co.
Sypher said he and others in the department assist with the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, a joint venture that combines resources from Purdue and the Indiana University medical school, as well as other educational and corporate entities. Researchers at the facility merge ideas and practices from industry and academia to find better ways to communicate about medical concerns. "The goal is to improve health care, not just in Indiana, but in the entire United States – it's very assertive," said Sypher. "It's something that I think Purdue offers a unique perspective on." |
