251681 Role of scientists in communicating new research findings to the public and in training journalists to understand environmental health sciences

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Andrea M. Hricko, MPH , Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
This roundtable will allow discussion about effective methods for scientists to communicate new research findings to the public, including the role of community outreach and engagement programs in helping to serve as bridges between scientists and the public. It will also discuss ways that scientists and community outreach specialists can engage both formally and informally with journalists to “pitch” stories, help journalists understand environmental health sciences, and ensure that journalists have appropriate skills to distinguish between credible science and reports that have conflicts of interest. Innovative means of translating and disseminating scientific research findings will be discussed.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Communication and informatics

Learning Objectives:
1) Assess the role of scientists in communicating new environmental health research findings to the public. 2) Describe one innovative social networking tool that can help get new findings to the public. 3) Identify two advantages of outreach and engagement programs in helping to translate and disseminate scientific findings to the public. 4) Indentify one way that the scientific research community can develop relationships with the news media, not just to get their own research findings “out” but to ensure that journalists develop a more solid understanding of the science behind environmental health.

Keywords: Health Communications, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have translated these findings on behalf of our scientists at USC and have trained journalists to understand EHC.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Can you hear me now? Contemporary models and strategies in environmental health communication
See more of: Environment