Health Communications Syllabus
I. Instructors
Sharon Bogan, MPH
Associate Professor, Dept. of Health Services
School of Public Health & Community Medicine
University of Washington
206-205-4038
sharon.bogan@kingcounty.gov
Randal D. Beaton, PhD, EMT
Research Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Services
School of Public Health & Community Medicine
Psychosocial & Community Health
University of Washington
randyb@u.washington.edu
Nicole Sadow-Hasenberg
Public Information Officer
Public Health-Seattle & King County
206-263-8699
Nicole.Sadow-Hasenberg@kingcounty.gov
Dr. Michael McCarthy
Editor- Local Health Guide
206-706-7461
E: mxmc@mac.com
W: www.localhealthguideonline.com
Sandi Doughton
Science Reporter
Seattle Times
206 464-2491
Timothy E. Doyle,
Program Manager
Public Education, Recovery & Emergency Worker
King County Office of Emergency Management
timothy.doyle@kingcounty.gov
206.205.4071
Health Communications Syllabus
II. Course Description
Health Communications familiarizes public health professionals from a variety of
disciplines, including health education, program management, emergency
preparedness and others, with concepts and skills for developing and evaluating health
communications campaigns. Participants will utilize current public health activities to
explore techniques for formative evaluation, audience segmentation, message
development and evaluation. Participants will analyze effective strategies and potential
challenges to community preparedness promotion. Pitching health stories to decision
makers and the media will also be covered. Specific emphasis in this course will focus
on approaches to reaching under-served populations.
Overall Course Objectives
Participants completing the course will be able to:
1. Identify strategies for planning, implementing, and evaluating health
communication campaigns.
2. Demonstrate capacity to develop health communication approaches for
traditionally underserved populations.
3. Develop skills in risk communication.
4. Examine and analyze health communications and other activities that promote
community preparedness (for the general public, healthcare providers, disaster
response personnel and vulnerable populations).
5. Become familiar with new technologies used to reach communities with health
messages.
The Course objectives are accomplished in the following ways:
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Sharing lessons learned and expertise from program participants
Critically analyzing health communication campaigns
Utilizing case studies
Developing Creative Strategy Briefs
III. Course Format
There are eleven sessions in this course:
Session 1: Overview and Elements of Effective Communication Campaigns
Session 2: Health Behavior Theory and Applications
Session 3: Risk Communication
Health Communications Syllabus
Session 4: Initial Planning – Formative work and audience segmentation
Session 5: Message Development
Session 6: Local Health Guide and Pitching Health Stories to the Media
Session 7: Placement Strategy
Session 8: Community Preparedness
Session 9: Evaluating and Assessing Effectiveness
Session 10: Pitching Your Health Stories to the Media
Session 11: New Media and Social Marketing
Session 12: Applying what you learned to work at home
Resources and Reading List
(download or print from http://cancer.gov/pinkbook):
US Department of Health and Human Services. National Cancer Institute. Pink Book:
Making Health Communication Programs Work. Bethesda, MD: Office of Cancer
Communications, 2002.
DeJong, W. and Winsten, J. (1998). The Media and the Message: Lessons Learned
from Past Public Service Campaigns. Washington DC: The National Campaign to
Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (On Reserve at Health Sciences Library)
Maibach, E., & Holtgrave, D. (1995). Advances in health communication. Annual
Review of Public Health, 16, 219-238.
Backer, T. & Rogers, E. (1993) Organizational Aspects of Health Communication
Campaigns: What Works? Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Glanz, K. & B. Rimer (1997) Theory at a Glance: A Guide for Health Promotion Practice.
National Cancer Institute.
Goodman, A. (2002) Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes.
http://www.agoodmanonline.com/publications/how_bad_presentations_happen/index.ht
m
Rice, R. & Atkin, C. (2000) Public Communication Campaigns. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Health Communications Syllabus
Rice, R. & Katz, J. (2000) The Internet and Health Communication: Experiences and
Expectations. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Severin, W. J. & J.W. Tankard. (2001) Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, and
Uses in the Mass Media. Longman Press.
Siegel, Michael (2006). Marketing Public Health: Strategies to Promote Social Change.
Jones and Bartlett Publishers (1st edition also available)
Website: Seattle Local Health Guide www.localhealthguideonline.com