Health and Science Archives

Health and Science Communication

Health and Science
Political Communication

Support for scientific funding doesn’t have to be partisan — but scientists must make the case, says new study

The real driver of distrust in agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation isn’t ideology per se, but a form of scientific populism that goes beyond political parties. Instead, scientific populism reflects a belief that scientific “elites” are out of touch and that ordinary people should have more authority over what research gets funded and conducted.

Posted: Monday January 5, 2026

A woman wearing a VR headset with the view from inside the headset, a city skyline, visible behind her.

Communication and Technology
Health and Science
Political Communication

Using virtual reality to close psychological distances

Despite agreement among most scientists and climate experts that climate change is real and poses a major threat to the planet, apathy and denial towards it persist and proliferate. While politics plays a big role in people’s attitudes, there are also several psychological reasons for people to be apathetic, and researchers are looking for new technology for ways to close these psychological gaps. A new study co-authored by Assistant Professor of Media Production, Management, and Technology Eugy Han explored ways to use virtual reality (VR) in climate change communication and found that VR was an effective tool at reducing climate indifference among its participants.

Posted: Wednesday December 17, 2025

Health and Science
Trust

Hesitancy in the Home: The Relationship Between Family Communication Patterns and Willingness to Talk About Covid-19 Vaccination

Family dynamic plays an important role in discussions about vaccination and the level of trust in sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Posted: Wednesday June 28, 2023

Health and Science

COVID Communications: Culture, Compliance, and Brands

When the pandemic led to global lockdowns in early 2020, the U.S. government quickly reacted with health-related communications that were not accepted universally across the country. But this divide in compliance was not seen everywhere across the globe. Why?

Posted: Monday April 17, 2023

Health and Science
Strategic Communication

Clinicians as Trusted Messengers

The hesitancy to vaccinate children against COVID-19 has become a global public health threat. Research shows that people who are unvaccinated primarily get vaccine information from the internet, friends, and family, while those who are fully vaccinated primarily get information from their own physicians and from national health experts.

Posted: Wednesday January 25, 2023

Health and Science

Secure Messaging and COVID-19: A Content Analysis of Patient–Clinician Communication During the Pandemic

During the early stages of the pandemic, secure messaging became a critical mode of communication for healthcare providers and their patients, addressing, in particular, misinformation about COVID-19.

Posted: Friday April 1, 2022

Health and Science

The Effect of Health Agency Advertising on Patient-Doctor Communication

A woman’s willingness to initiate sexual health conversations with their doctors can make a difference in the quality of care she receives. This research explores whether a woman’s age had any effect on her willingness to take the lead for her own sexual health care.

Posted: Tuesday September 14, 2021

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