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Overview Faculty Courses Summary of Department Research Contact


The University of Iowa
College of Public Health
Department of Community and Behavioral Health

Overview

The Department of Community and Behavioral Health offers M.P.H., M.S., and Ph.D. subtracks in Health Communication.  Graduates of the program will be able to implement communication strategies and messages using mediated and interpersonal channels to effectively address the health needs of diverse audiences.  Clinician-patient interaction, family communication, group and organizational communication, and mass media / web-based campaigns will be addressed.  

Health Communication students will build foundations in community and behavioral health while gaining expertise in specialized health communication “core” classes.  While most of the core classes are housed within the department, many are cross-listed with the departments of Communication Studies or the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  Students will have the opportunity to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based public health interventions, participate in original research projects that make contributions to the body of knowledge of public health and health communication, and communicate research findings to the scientific community.

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Faculty Members Involved in Health Communication:

Dr. John B. Lowe – Professor and Department Head, Department of Community and Behavioral Health (primary), Department of Communication Studies (secondary),  DrPH earned at the University of Texas

Teaches:
Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Tobacco Use: Prevention and Control

Research Interests
:       
Cancer Prevention and Control
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Health Promotion
Smoking Cessation and Prevention
Behavioral Medicine
Media

Dr. Shelly Campo – Assistant Professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health and Department of Communication Studies (joint), PhD earned at Michigan State University

Teaches:                      
Health Communication
Health Communication Campaigns
Persuasion and Health

Research Interests:
       
Health Communication
Health Campaigns
Persuasion

Dr. Leslie Baxter – F. Wendell Miller Professor, Department of Communication Studies (primary), Department of Community and Behavioral Health (secondary), PhD earned at University of Oregon

Teaches:                      
Communication Theory
Communication and Relationships
Dialogism

Research Interests:
     
Communication in Families
Communication in Personal Relationships

Dr. Julie Andsager – Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication (primary) and Community and Behavioral Health (secondary), PhD earned at University of Tennessee

Teaches:
Quantitative Methods
Gender and Mass Media
Media and Health

Research Interests:
      
Media Framing of Health Information
Audience Interpretation of Health-Related Message

Dr. Frank Boster – Adjunct Professor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University, Department of Communication, PhD earned at Michigan State University

Research Interests:      
Persuasion / Social Influence
Group Communication

 

Other Department of Community and Behavioral Health Faculty Members:

Dr. Mary Aquilino, Associate Professor, Assistant Dean, MPH Program Director, PhD earned at University of Iowa

Research Interests:       
Smoking Cessation
Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Dr. Joe Coulter, Professor, Associate Dean, PhD earned at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Research Interests:
Minority Education and Public Health
American Indian and Native Studies

Dr. Kristi Ferguson, Associate Professor, PhD earned at University of Michigan

Research Interests:       
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Children and Adolescents
Role of Cognitive Factors in Health-Related Behavior

Dr. Peter Nathan, Professor, PhD earned at Washington University

Research Interests:       
Substance Abuse and Dependence
Syndromal Diagnosis

Dr. Faryle Nothwehr, Assistant Professor, PhD earned at University of Michigan

Research Interests:       
Health Behavior Change Among Adults
Chronic Disease Self-Management

Dr. Andrew Peterson, Assistant Professor, PhD earned at University of Missouri

Research Interests:       
Community Organization
Empowerment Theory

Dr. Anne-Helene Skinstad, Assistant Professor, PhD earned at University of Bergen

Research Interests:       
Substance Abuse Disorders in Women
Technology Transfer Issues in Substance Abuse Education

Dr. Nancy Thompson, Associate Professor, PhD earned at Columbia University

Research Interests:       
Impact of Health Plan Preventive Features on Plan Choice System Interventions

Dr. Anne Baber Wallis, Assistant Professor, PhD earned at John Hopkins University

Research Interests:       
Maternal and Child Health
Evaluation Research

Dr. Jingzhen (Ginger ) Yang, Assistant Professor, PhD earned at University of North Carolina

Research Interests:       
Physical Activity and Obesity
Unintentional Injury Prevention

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Health Communication Core Courses

Health Communication

Persuasion and Health

Communication Theory

Health Communication Campaigns

Community and Behavioral Health Courses:

Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Community Development in Public Health

Social Sciences and Health

Health Behavior and Health Education

Designing and Implementing Interventions  

Evaluation I: Theory and Applications  

Evaluation II: Design and Methods  

Qualitative Research for Public Health  

Community Preventive Programs/Services

Maternal, Child and Family Health

Social Determinants of Health

International Health: Anthropological Perspectives and Practices

Substance Use and Misuse in America

Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Tobacco Use: Prevention and Control

Communicating with the Community

Research in Community and Behavioral Health 

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Summary of Department Research Completed or in Process

1.      ITRC project with IDPH—fax referral, occasional smoking and American Indian Health project (Lowe, Aquilino, Campo) (IDPH, CDC funding)

2.      FAS project (Lowe, Baxter, Nathan, Hirokawa) CDC funding)

3.      Colorectal Cancer Prevention (Campo) (IDPH funding)

4.      Drug advertisements in magazines (Andsager)

5.      Colorectal Cancer media coverage (Andsager)

6.      Processing of health related messages (Andsager; Campo)

7.      Media framing of gender and health (Andsager)

8.      Community leaders’ perceptions of alcohol in the community (Campo, internal grant)

9.      Social Norms Campaigns Evaluation and Audience Processing (Campo)

10.    Obesity coverage in Media (Campo)

11.    Increasing suntan bed risk awareness (Campo) 

12.    Hazing prevention in college campuses (Campo)

13.    Family communication patterns and health behaviors in college students (Baxter)

Department of Community and Behavioral Health Research Centers:

            The Prevention Research Center - www.public-health.uiowa.edu/PRC

            The Iowa Tobacco Research Center - www.public-health.uiowa.edu/itrc

            The Prairielands Addiction Technology Transfer Center - www.public-health.uiowa.edu/pattc

            The Iowa Center for Evaluation Research - www.public-health.uiowa.edu/icer

            The Health Communication Research Center – under development

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For more information, please contact:

Shelly Campo
200 Hawkins Drive E237 GH,
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
E-mail: 
shelly-campo@uiowa.edu
Phone (319) 384-5393
Fax (319) 384-5385

Websites
The University of Iowa - http://www.uiowa.edu
College of Public Health - http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/
Department of Community and Behavioral Health - http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/cbh/
 

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Last Updated May 1, 2006
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