A Program in Environmental Health and Occupational Health & Safety APPLIED RISK COMMUNICATION FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY September 28 30, 2015 Boston, MA
Every day, organizations like yours are challenged to communicate effectively about risk so that others can make informed decisions about their health. When done poorly, the information being communicated may pose as great a risk as the hazard itself. This applied program will provide state-of-the-science knowledge on communicating effectively about risk to improve communication outcomes, increase trust in your organization, reduce public anxiety about issues, and help key stakeholders make better decisions. In order to ensure that risks are communicated effectively and with the intended results, you need the practical, hands-on training in risk communication design and delivery that this course offers. Learn more: ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/arc15
Who Should Participate Professionals responsible for communicating about risk from private industry, the non-profit sector, and from governments around the world will benefit from attending this program. Participants with the following job functions are encouraged to attend: Communications, public relations, and public affairs Emergency preparedness and management Government relations and regulatory affairs Health policy and research Marketing and advertising Occupational and environmental health Public health, health promotion, and health education Risk analysis and management Learn more: ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/arc15
Curriculum This is a practical, hands-on course designed to improve your risk communication abilities. Major topics to be covered in the course will include: The psychosocial and societal determinants of risk communication through the scientific and systematic overview of risk communication literature Strategic communication of risk information including audience segmentation, designing messaging, and executing risk communications Message construction formats for the communication of risk, including fear, narratives, and exemplars Statistical principles to understand how risk information is generated Behavioral economics and their role in communicating risk Introduction to state of the art of evaluation techniques including major methods such as focus groups, surveys, experiments, social media, and mhealth
Faculty Program Director Kasisomayajula ( Vish ) Viswanath, PhD is a Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also a Professor of Health Communication in the McGraw-Patterson Center for Population Sciences at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute and the Director of the Health Communication Core at the Dana-Farber/ Harvard Cancer Center. Dr. Viswanath s work, drawing from literature in communication science, social epidemiology, and social and health behavior sciences, focuses on translational communication science to influence public health policy and practice. His primary research is in documenting the relationship between communication inequalities, poverty and health disparities, and knowledge translation through communitybased research to address health disparities. For the past six years, he has been the primary investigator for a major emergency preparedness grant from the CDC. Before coming to Harvard, Dr. Viswanath was the Acting Associate Director of the Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He was also a senior scientist in NCI s Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch. Dr. Viswanath chairs the Steering Committee for the Health Communication Concentration at Harvard Chan School and teaches health communication courses within this concentration.
Learning Objectives Develop a state-of-the-science understanding of the individual, psychological, interpersonal, and societal factors that influence the: Generation and communication of risk information during crisis and non-crisis periods Impact of risk communications on the public s risk perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, including compliance Apply this knowledge to designing effective risk communication messages drawing on the science of strategic communication and health communication Become familiar with and practice methods for evaluating risk communication efforts [Up to] 70% of a typical private firm s assets are intangibles, like goodwill, that can be lost when communications fail. Public institutions reputations often depend on their ability to communicate. Fischhoff, Baruch, et al. Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User s Guide United States Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration, 2011 Learn more: ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/arc15
Learn more: ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/arc15 Program Check-in Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 651 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115 Program Information Please visit the course website for information regarding the program fee, accommodations for course participants, continuing education credits, and our substitution and cancellation policy. Continuing Education Credit This program is accredited by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Credit types and amounts will be determined once the agenda has been finalized and are subject to change. Program Portfolio For a full list of Executive and Continuing Professional Education courses, visit ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/portfolio Contact Us For more information, please contact us by phone at (617) 432-2100, or by e-mail at contedu@hsph.harvard.edu About Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Executive and Continuing Professional Education Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Executive and Continuing Professional Education prepares individuals and organizations to solve the most pressing global public health and health care challenges. Leaders in government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors around the world attend programs which provide strategies for addressing the critical issues facing their organizations with proven tactics that drive change.
APPLIED RISK COMMUNICATION FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY September 28 30, 2015 Boston, MA Risk communication is used to give governments, corporations, communities, and the general public information to make decisions about hazards which may affect them, such as the likelihood and consequences of a disease outbreak. Effective communication eases public anxiety and minimizes the possibility of poor outcomes associated with uninformed decision making. This is a practical, hands-on course designed to improve your risk communication abilities. ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/arc15 Ref. Code: ARC15_WB