New course to prepare future health communicators

PIC by Kasun Ubayasiri: Expert advisors for Griffith’s new Health & Science Communication course, which will launch in Trimester 2, 2020 (from left: Michael Lund, Lynda Davies, Melissa Sweet, Debbie Bargallie, Julianne Schultz, Donisha Duff, Monique Lewis, Phillip Stork, and Bernadette Sebar. Missing from photo: Kasun Ubayasiri)

Health communication experts from Croakey, The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, The Conversation, Griffith Review, have collaborated with Griffith academics to plan the University’s new Health and Science Communication course.

The course will explore the frequent tensions and challenges that arise between strategic communicators, journalists, healthcare workers, and scientists in their communication practice with one another – and ultimately, with their audiences.

It will be available to students from communication and journalism, public health, medicine, and business degrees, from Trimester 2, 2020.

“It was an honour to host such an inspiring group of professional experts and academics who have helped identify some of the most pressing issues facing our future health communicators – as well as some very creative and meaningful ways to engage and inspire our students, ” said Dr Monique Lewis, convenor of Health and Science Communication.

“Recent bushfires point to the health crises that Australia and the world face due to climate change. Effective communication strategies are vital to public awareness and safety as a matter of urgency,” Dr Lewis said.

“Understanding health inequities, translating complexity, and the ever-increasing role of narrative in engaging audiences will also be addressed.”

/University Release. View in full here.