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Thank you for taking the time to visit us! It is a very special time
for our group and its members. HCWG becomes 10-years old this year,
and we are all celebrating with multiple events at the 2008 APHA
Annual Meeting in San Diego! You are all invited to attend!
I am very humbled to
serve as the current HCWG chair, and look forward to continuing the
work of recent past chairs Jude McDivitt and Meg Young, who always
aimed at being inclusive and creating bridges among different public
health disciplines and professionals. As our immediate past chair,
Jude remains Chair Emeritus, and also serves on several
subcommittees. I also want to recognize the APHA Public Health
Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP) section, chaired by Kathi
Wilson, to which HCWG has belonged since its creation.
Since the HCWG was
founded in 1998, there is a lot to celebrate about the field of public
health communications and its strategic contributions to promoting
health and preventing disease. Health communication is now being
recognized as a key strategic and multidisciplinary approach in
helping advance public health goals (for example, health communication
was included for the first time in Healthy People 2010). Its renewed
focus on health and social behavior outcomes has generated an
increased enthusiasm and interest in this field and has prompted the
flourishing of academic programs and training opportunities both in
the US and abroad.
Over the past 10 years,
HCWG has been part of the health communication “renaissance.” Among
other things, HCWG has contributed to promoting understanding and
discussion of health communication research, theory and practice at
the APHA annual meeting as well as in other academic and professional
settings. The group has also provided a home within the larger APHA
to many professionals from academia, practice, non-profit
organizations, government agencies and other key local and national
public health institutions. As a member of HCWG, I have been able to
work with many interesting and dedicated health communication and
social marketing scholars, practitioners, and promising students, whom
I might not have otherwise met.
As part of its mission
to provide opportunities for interaction and information exchange, the
HCWG maintains this website and a listserv. We also sponsor several
activities at the Annual APHA meetings such as scientific sessions,
invited panel discussions, student poster sessions, and the Annual
APHA Film and Media Festival, which is now in its 5th
year. Some of our invited sessions at the APHA conference have
addressed evaluating media campaigns, media advocacy, risk
communications, interpersonal communications, and the intersection
between health communication, health education, and social marketing.
Last but not least, we
make time for networking -- at our annual APHA social event on the
Sunday night of the conference. We also conduct business meetings
during the conference, which you are all invited to attend to learn
more about HCWG Steering Committee, activities and programs. I invite
you to become involved with the Health Communication Working Group by
coming to our events and sessions at this year’s APHA conference in
San Diego in October, or by contacting me directly at
renata@renataschiavo.com. Also, please feel free to drop a note
with questions or just to say hello.
Renata Schiavo
HCWG Chair, 2007-2008 |
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