Coalition for Health Communication

Emerson College
School of Communication

Overview

Emerson College’s M.A. in Health Communication is a unique one, because it is offered in collaboration with the Tufts University School of Medicine. With coursework that provides strong training in both principles of communication and the language of medicine, our students have the advantages, opportunities, and resources of two respected institutions. Only blocks away from Boston’s world-renowned medical centers, our students study in the midst of one of the most dynamic health care environments in the country. The graduate experience provides students with an exciting range of applications, including planning, delivering, and evaluating health information campaigns; advocating for health policy initiatives; and influencing health care delivery through more effective client-provider communication. Intensive internships also form an integral part of the program and enable students to gain professional expertise. The program culminates in the Applied Learning Experience (ALE), a capstone course that unifies the skills and knowledge students have acquired.

The program is housed in the School of Communication at Emerson College, and the program is offered in collaboration with the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

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Faculty
Timothy Edgar (Ph.D., Purdue University)
Teaching Interests: health communication and behavioral theory, research methods
Research Interests: explaining illness, health literacy, health communication pedagogy

L. Suzanne Suggs (Ph.D., Texas Women’s University)
Teaching Interests: social marketing, media strategies for health campaigns, e-health
Research Interests: tailored messaging, social marketing campaigns

Tracy Worrell (Ph.D., Michigan State University, expected August 2005)
Teaching Interests: mass media effects, research methods
Research Interests: media depictions of illness

Steve Sohn (Ph.D., University of Connecticut, expected August 2005)
Teaching Interests: principles of advertising, media planning
Research Interests: media portrayals of body image

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Courses

Applications of Communication Theory for Health Communication

Social Marketing

Media Strategies for the Health Professional

Introduction to Clinical Medicine

Epidemiology and Biostatistics: Reading and Interpreting the Medical Literature

Applied Learning Experience for Health Communication

Health Behavior and Health Communication

Communicating Risk

New Technologies in Health Communication

Ethical Issues in Health Communication

Introduction to Public Health

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Summary of Department Research Completed or in Process

Edgar, T., Noar, S.M., & Freimuth, V.S. (Eds.). (Forthcoming). Communication perspectives on HIV/AIDS for the 21^st century. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Edgar, T., & Hyde, J. N. (2005). An alumni-based evaluation of graduate training in health communication: Results of a survey on careers, salaries, competencies, and emerging trends. Journal of Health Communication, 10, 5-25.

Edgar, T., Satterfield, D., & Whaley, B. (2005). Explanations of illness: A bridge to understanding. In E. B. Ray (Ed.), Heath communication in practice: A case study approach (pp. 95-109). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence J. Erlbaum Associates.

Edgar, T., Freimuth, V., & Hammond, S.L. (2003). Lessons learned from the field on health campaigns. In T. Thompson, K. Miller, A. Dorsey, & R. Parrott (Eds.), Handbook of health communication (pp.625-636). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence J. Erlbaum Associates.

Greenberg, B.S. & Worrell, T.R. (in press). The portrayal of weight in the media and its social impact. In K.D. Brownell, R.M. Puhl, & M.B. Schwartz (Eds.), Bias, stigma, discrimination and obesity. New York: Guilford Publications Inc.

Suggs, L. S. (forthcoming). A 10-year retrospective on research on new technologies in health communication. Journal of Health Communication.

Suggs, L.S. (2003). Analysis and perspective: The case for tailored behavior change programs, HealthPlan and Provider Report, 9, 1336-1339.

Suggs, L.S., Cissell, W.B., McIntyre, C., & Ward, M. (2002). Adoption of communication technologies in a Texas health setting. Educational Technology and Society, 5, 69-74.

Suggs, L.S. (2000). 1-2-3 SmokeFree Program at Quitcigs.com. Health Education and Behavior, 27, 682-3.

Zoller, H. & Worrell, T.R. (in press). Television illness depictions, identity, and social experience: Responses to Multiple Sclerosis on The West Wing among people with MS. Health Communication.

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For more information, please contact:

Timothy Edgar, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and
Director of the Graduate Program in Health Communication
Emerson College
Department of Marketing Communication
120 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Office (617) 824-8743
Fax (617) 824-8759
E-mail: timothy_edgar@emerson.edu

Websites
Emerson College - http://www.emerson.edu/
School of Communication - http://www.emerson.edu/marketing_communication/index.cfm?doc_id=487
Tufts University School of Medicine - http://www.tufts.edu/med/gpph/HCOM/index.html
Department of Public Health and Family Medicine - http://medicine.tufts.edu/dept/phfm.cfm

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