Communicating Public Health Information Effectively
Students in the MD/MPH Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison can take an elective course titled Communicating Public Health Information Effectively during the Master of Public Health year.
The course is designed to help students improve their ability to communicate with different audiences. From the news media to legislators, and from written to oral communication, students will learn strategies for health communication based on scientific and practical recommendations.
Students will learn how to communicate public health information to nonscientific audiences more effectively. The knowledge and skills learned in this course will assist students with planning and executing communication activities carried out in the practice of public health.
Communicating Public Health Course Description
The format of this course will consist of brief lectures, small group exercises and discussions. The primary readings come from the American Public Health Association (APHA) textbook, "Communicating Public Health Information Effectively: A Guide for Practitioners." Patrick Remington, MD, MPH, associate dean for public health at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, is one of the book's authors.
Students will read chapters in the course textbook and other assigned readings or Web-based materials before class each day. Students are expected to be prepared to participate in discussions and activities during the course. The course will take a "hands-on" approach, using problem-based learning through lectures and case studies. The course is organized into four parts over five days of learning:
- Part 1: Developing a health communication plan
- Part 2: Communicating to inform, working with the media
- Part 3: Communicating to persuade, writing a letter to the editor
- Part 4: Communicating with policy makers
In addition, guest faculty, including public relations professionals, journalists and medical school staff, will provide insight and share ideas about communication strategies, and conduct exercises that demonstrate how public health information is disseminated by various stakeholders, such as researchers and policy makers.
Communication and Informatics Competencies
This course will address most of the following competencies for public health communication:
- Describe how the public health information infrastructure is used to collect, process, maintain and disseminate data.
- Describe how societal, organizational and individual factors influence and are influenced by public health communications.
- Discuss the influences of social, organizational and individual factors on the use of information technology by end users.
- Apply theory and strategy-based communication principles across different settings and audiences.
- Apply legal and ethical principles to the use of information technology and resources in public health settings.
- Collaborate with communication and informatics specialists in the process of design, implementation and evaluation of public health programs.
- Demonstrate effective written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the context of professional public health activities.
- Use information technology to access, evaluate and interpret public health data.
- Use informatics methods and resources as strategic tools to promote public health.
- Use informatics and communication methods to advocate for community public health programs and policies.