VCU news

By Cheryle Rodriguez

Virginia Commonwealth University will host the Inaugural Media + Health Symposium, a free series of lectures from top health communication scholars and professionals.

The symposium will take place on Friday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the VCU Student Commons, Ballroom B, 907 Floyd Ave. The Center for Media + Health in VCU’s School of Mass Communications in the College of Humanities and Sciences is sponsoring the event.

The speakers will present innovative research and best practices related to improving health-related communication to the general public, particularly to vulnerable populations.

The event features nine speakers:  

·        Eric Benotsch, Ph.D., associate professor, VCU Department of Psychology, and the director of the health psychology doctoral training programs, on “Technology Use and HIV Risk Behavior.”
·        Glen Cameron, Ph.D., founder and senior scientist in the Health Communication Research Center in the Missouri School of Journalism, on “Extending the Reach and Frequency of Health Information Beyond the Exam Room.”
·        Marcia DiStaso, Ph.D., assistant professor of public relations in the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University, on “How ‘Friending’ Your Doctor Changes the Doctor-Patient Relationship.”
·        Linda Haddad, Ph.D., associate professor in community health nursing at VCU School of Nursing, and faculty member with the VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, on “The Rise of Hookah Smoking and the Media’s Role.”
·        Brooke Liu, Ph.D., associate professor  of communication at the University of Maryland, on “Social Media Use During Disasters: Implications for Health and Risk Communication.”
·        Rob Logan, Ph.D., senior staff member, National Library of Medicine in the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, on “Status of Health Communication Interventions and the Use of Consumer Health Information Services.”
·        Debbie Myers, senior vice president at the public relations firm of PadillaCRT, on “The Role of Brand Journalism in Health Communication.”
·        Jeff Nugent, co-director of the VCU Center for Teaching Excellence and special assistant to the Provost for Technology and eLearning at VCU, on “Open Education Resources and How the Web is Altering How and Where Learning Takes Place.”
·        Kevin Wise, Ph.D., associate professor and interim head of the Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois, on “Embodied Media Psychology and Health Communication.”

For more information, contact cmh@vcu.edu or call 804-828-2660.