Knowledge translation and communication

PPHS-614: Knowledge translation, communications, and evidence-informed public health leadership

Course Overview
All health professionals, especially those in public and global health, must learn about media, journalism, communications, advocacy and diplomacy.

Course Description
Why? We are living in an era of epidemics and infodemics. Fake news travels faster than true news. Everything, including junk science, is getting airtime. The public is getting more information from Whatsapp and social media than trusted health agencies and scientists. For example, WHO considers the anti-vaccination movement among the 10 biggest threats to global health.Bad science, combined with poor science communication and reporting, is eroding public faith in research and the deadly rise of anti-science is a scary phenomenon that everyone in medicine and healthcare must learn to manage. With science under attack, scientists have little choice but to step into the limelight. This includes writing in the media, giving interviews, speaking at public meetings, whether it is giving a TED talk, speaking at a neighborhood community meeting, addressing parliament, or delivering a speech at the UN or World Health Assembly. All health professionals must learn about media, journalism, communications, advocacy and diplomacy. They should also learn about how to simplify public health messages, how to engage with media, the public, as well as politicians.Knowledge translation in global and public health is a dynamic and iterative process that includes synthesis, dissemination, exchange, and ethically-sound application of knowledge to policy and programming. This introductory, graduate-level course is designed to provide students with an overview of knowledge translation processes for effective evidence-informed public health leadership and to build knowledge translation, media, communications and advocacy skills. Classes include discussions of background readings, lectures, small group discussions, student presentations, and interactive, hands-on exercises. Several journalists, advocates, policy makers and diplomats will join the class and deliver guest lectures. Hands-on skill development would be emphasized throughout the course.

Course agenda
Lecture 1.1: The Know-Do Gap in Global and Public Health: how communication, advocacy and diplomacy can help (by Madhukar Pai) [Slides] [Video to watch] [Additional reading]
Lecture 1.2: Health communication in the era of disinformation (by Gabby Stern) [Video to watch] [Additional reading]
Lecture 2.1: How to write for science journals (by Julia Robinson) [Slides] [Additional reading 1] [Additional reading 2]
Lecture 2.2: How to write a media or press release (by Jason Clement) [Slides] [Additional reading]
Lecture 3.1: Op-ed writing workshop (by Roxanne Khamsi)
Lecture 4.1: How to prepare a policy brief for policy makers (by Andrew Bresnahan) [Slides] [Additional readings and tools]
Lecture 4.2: How to co-create research with communities and stakeholders and how to prepare policy briefs for policymakers (by Cate Hankins) [Slides] [Additional readings and tools]
Lecture 5.1: How to give TV interviews (by Chris Labos) [Slides] [Additional readings and tools]
Lecture 6.1: The global trust crisis in public health and how to mitigate it (by Robert Steiner) [Slides] [Additional reading 1] [Additional reading 2]
Lecture 7.1: How policy makers and politicians think and what is necessary to convince them (by Elise Legault) [Slides]
Lecture 7.2: Importance of advocacy in global and public health (by Madhukar Pai) [Slides] [Additional reading 1] [Additional reading 2]
Lecture 8.1: How to organize an advocacy campaign (by Erica Lessem & Madlen Nash) [Slides] [Additional reading and video to watch]
Lecture 9.1: How to effectively use podcasts for public health (by Garry Aslanyan) [Slides] [Podcasts]
Lecture 9.2: Why You Should Care About Global Health Diplomacy (by Garry Aslanyan) [Slides] [Additional reading]
Lecture 10.1: Journalist roundtable (by Annalisa Merelli & Stephanie Nolen) [Additional readings]
Lecture 10.2: How to use social media for advancing public health (by Diya Banerjee) [Slides]
Lecture 11.1: Narrative strategy and storytelling (by Maryn McKenna) [Additional readings]
Lecture 11.2: How to deliver a public speech (by Madhukar Pai) [Slides]
Lecture 12.1: How to communicate scientific uncertainty, and confront misinformation (by Amy Maxmen) [Slides and additional reading]
Lecture 13.1: Health diplomacy (by Peter Singer) [Additional readings]
Readings
Public health professionals must engage the public. Communications training is key. (Forbes)
Master of Public Health students publish series of op-eds. (McGill Reporter)