Facing Life with a Lethal Gene

I was getting ready for class tomorrow and came across a fantastic article in The New York Times, Facing Life with a Lethal Gene. The article itself is extremely interesting, with a lot of useful information about Huntington's disease (HD) and some of the issues surrounding genetic testing of HD. Issues surrounding stigma were handled particularly well, I thought.

Beyond the basics of the story, though, this particular article struck me as an example of what online news coverage should be. The (very long) article is supplemented by great video content and images, elements that added a great deal to the story but certainly wouldn't be possible in a print version of the story.

I'm curious to hear what my students have to say tomorrow morning about HD, as well as genetic testing in general. It'll also be interesting to hear their thoughts on how some of the stigma surrounding HD might fade as (1) genetic testing becomes more commplace and (2) the topic pops up in popular TV shows like House, where one of the doctors (typically called 13) recently discovered through a genetic test that she has HD.

Only slightly related to this, I never realized until the last couple months how many topics House raises that are pretty cutting edge. And while I was much more aware of Boston Legal doing that, it's been especially relevant in the last few weeks. Tonight's episode, for example, focused on a girl who was planning on getting an abortion - but the decision was driven by the fact that she was going to have a girl, and she would have wanted to keep a boy. I'm sure parents making decisions about what kind of kids they want will become a more common issue in the coming years, and it's fascinating to watch shows introduce these controversial topics into the public consciousness.

National Communication Association: Health Communication Program

As NCA approaches (which sadly I won't be able to attend this year), I figured it would be worth posting a few notes about activities going on in San Diego...

(1) The Health Communication Top Papers panel will be held Saturday at 12:30 in Manchester B. The Health Communication Business Meeting will be held immediately following: Saturday at 2 pm, also in Manchester B. At the business meeting, we will be honoring the NCA/ICA Outstanding Health Communication Scholar in addition to giving other awards and electing new officers.

(2) The Health Communication Bi-Annual Doctoral and Early Career Pre-Conference will be held on Thursday from 9 am – 5 pm in Elizabeth F. The theme of this year’s pre-conference is “Innovation through Collaboration.” Athena du Pre and Evelyn Ho have planned a wonderful program for the day. Onsite registration will be taken (there is a $50 fee). If you plan to register onsite, please contact Evelyn Ho (eyho@usfca.edu) prior to the conference.

(3) There will be a panel sponsored by the NCA Research Board entitled: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Health Communication Initiatives and Funding. This panel will focus on current programs in Health Communication at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. The panelists will discuss current programs, funding opportunities for communication researchers, and tips for seeking funding. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear from senior program officers at NCI who are involved in funding health communication projects. It will be held Sunday at 8 am in Manchester C.

(4) Finally, there will be a meeting of the Coalition for Health Communication on Friday at 6:30 in the Connaught room. Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome to come.

Check the 2008 NCA Annual Convention website for more info.

Agenda Setting

For anyone curious about the impact that TV can have in raising awareness or setting the agenda for public conversation, there was an interesting series of TV shows that certainly had that effect recently...

• An older episode of House that showed on USA focused on a young couple that were actually half-siblings, due to the father of both kids having an affair. They grew up neighbors, fell in love, and then discovered over the course of the show that they were related.

• Private Practice had an episode where a young couple were half-siblings, without realizing it. They wanted to have the woman's tubes tied, so that they could stay together - they decided they weren't raised as brother and sister, so that'd be okay. Eventually it comes out that the guy actually knew they were brother and sister, at which point the woman decides staying together is a bad idea.

• Boston Legal featured a new episode that included a young couple who were both conceived when their mothers made use of the same sperm bank. The question arose about whether or not they might have the same father. (I won't spoil it.)

As I talked about these episodes in class with my first-year students, one of the students asked if this was something that was a big deal, something that has been happening a lot lately. I have no idea if it has been, but I can certainly see where anyone seeing all three of these TV shows in the span of about a week could think so.

There's not much more to it than that right now, but episodes like that are putting a number of important issues front and center - from genetic testing to the rights of children conceived via sperm banks - that hopefully can serve as educational if done accurately.

Kent State University Jobs

I took a few days off from the blog as I traveled back to the Midwest, a trip that involved my laptop hard drive dying as I was shutting it down to pack for the plane. (Excellent timing!) So as I get settled back in Austin, I wanted to just pass along this job posting from Kent State University:


Kent State University is looking to its College of Communication and Information to take the lead in spearheading the creation of a robust center of excellence in health communication and health information. This initiative is part of an overarching University-wide mission to become a world leader in interdisciplinary public health research and exploration.

As a result, the School of Communication Studies is seeking to add to its faculty three highly regarded and productive scholars to take the lead in shaping and implementing this initiative. In addition to the University’s strong commitment to this mission, Northeast Ohio boasts some of the most respected medical facilities in the country with which to partner. They range from the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals to Akron’s Summa Health System and Children’s Hospital, with its world renowned burn center. In addition, Kent State University is part of a consortium of universities that comprise the Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine. The University’s effort is led by Provost Robert Frank, former dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida.

The School of Communication Studies is part of the College of Communication and Information, which also includes the schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, Library and Information Science, and Visual Communication Design, along with the M.A. program in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management. The College is Kent State University’s leading campus laboratory for interdisciplinary work. The College is led by Dean James Gaudino, former executive director of the National Communication Association.

Positions: Three open-rank faculty positions. We encourage applications from either individual scholars or existing research teams. We are open to creative hiring solutions.

Qualifications: We are seeking highly accomplished candidates with an outstanding record of grants and publications in health communication, with secondary expertise in mass communication, interpersonal communication, organizational communication, new communication technologies, information science, or visual communication design. Expertise in social science research methods and statistics is highly desirable. The Ph.D. or appropriate terminal degree is required.

Compensation: Salary is highly competitive and commensurate with rank and accomplishment. A competitive start-up package also is available.

The School: The School of Communication Studies comprises a close-knit faculty that places a premium on collaborative work at the intersections of traditional disciplines.

The Locale: Kent State University is located in the picturesque rolling hills of Northeastern Ohio. Kent, “The Tree City,” is conveniently located 15 minutes from Akron, 45 minutes from Cleveland and 30 minutes from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It offers a wonderful combination of college-town environment in close proximity to the cultural, dining and professional sports activities of major cities. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has hundreds of miles of hiking, bicycling and bridle trails in the stunning Cuyahoga Valley.

A letter of application, vita and reference information should be sent to:

Dr. Stan Wearden, Director
School of Communication Studies
Kent State University
P.O. Box 5190
Kent, OH 44242-0001

Kent State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.

Intercoder Reliability Calculation Tool

Anyone out there working on a content analysis project might be interested in a new online tool for calculating intercoder reliability - ReCal. Main features include:

• Calculates three of the most popular reliability coefficients for multiple coders: average pairwise percent agreement, Fleiss’ Kappa, and Krippendorff’s Alpha.

• Displays all possible pairwise percent agreements, making it easier to root out rogue coder.

• Accepts any range of possible variable values.

Check it out, this looks like a great tool.

Wayne State University: Assistant/Associate Professor of Communication

The Department of Communication at Wayne State University invites applications for a tenure/tenure track professor with specific research interests in Health Communication. Research interest in risk, communication, health and social marketing, patient/provider communication, health promotion, health information, health education, public health and/or community outreach are strongly desired. The successful candidate will work with the School of Nursing and the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences in interdisciplinary initiatives in the area of Health Communication.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. and an active program of scholarship and service as well as a strong record of teaching, and interest in both undergraduate and graduate (M.A. & Ph.D.) education. The successful candidates should also demonstrate an interest in securing external funding and in working with research teams. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to work with researchers and students from across the university. For further information about the Department of Communication at WSU, please see http://www.comm.wayne.edu.

Applications are made through the WSU Online Hiring System at http://jobs.wayne.edu referring to posting number F94883. Applications should include: letter of application, curriculum vita and names and contact information for three references. A statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and samples of professional/ academic writing may be forwarded to:

Dr. Loraleigh Keashly
Health Communication Search Committee Chair
Department of Communication
585 Manoogian Hall
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48201
(313) 577-3221
ad8889@wayne.edu

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2008, and will continue until the positions are filled. WSU faculty will be available to meet with interested candidates for this position at the National Communication Association Convention. Additional information is available at: http://www.comm.wayne.edu. The Department of Communication is committed to building a diverse faculty and educating a diverse student population. We encourage candidates who can serve well in a dynamic, multicultural urban environment. Wayne State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minority applicants are encouraged to apply.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION: The Department offers programs leading to the BA, MA, and PhD in Communication with majors in communication, speech communication, communication education, media arts and studies, film studies, journalism, public relations, dispute resolution, and communication studies. The faculty comprises 24 full-time and 30 part-time members who serve a student body of approximately 600 undergraduates and 175 graduate students. The Department’s facilities include specialized student computer labs, oral communication labs, broadcast-quality video studios, and digital video editing suites. Students in the Department participate in professional internships with nationally affiliated broadcast media, national advertising and public relations firms, and major daily newspapers. In addition, Wayne State’s nationally ranked and recognized Forensics program is housed the Department.

THE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY: The Department of Communication is one of five departments in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts; the other constituent units are the Departments of Art and Art History, Dance, Music, and Theatre. The College’s faculty offers degrees ranging from the BA and various undergraduate professional degrees through MA, M,us, and MFA degrees to PhD programs in both Communication and Theatre. Wayne State University is a research extensive, urban institution enrolling more than 34,000 students in 350 undergraduate and graduate programs offered through the university’s 11 schools and colleges. The campus in located in Detroit’s Midtown Cultural Center, and recent construction on the campus includes three new undergraduate dormitories. State of the art fitness center, and the University Bookstore and Welcome Center.

Wayne State’s neighbors in the Midtown Cultural Center include the Detroit Public Library, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Science Center, Charles Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Michigan Opera Theatre. The nearby New Center and Downtown areas are also home to active theatres, galleries, professional sports stadiums, and entertainment venues ranging from Hard Rock Café to Detroit Artist Market and the Fox and Fisher Theatres.

Is The Government Responsible For Health Care?

I'm a big fan of NPR's Intelligence Squared debate program, and their last episode offered an interesting debate around whether or not the U.S. government should be responsible for healthcare.

One of the more amusing moments was when Paul Krugman asked Canadians in the audience whether or not they were happy with their healthcare system. There weren't many, but it was more or less unanimous that they didn't like the Canadian system - not quite what he was hoping to have happen in the middle of the debate, I'm sure. Oops.

Anyway, it was a pretty spirited debate, and it makes for good listening with only a month to go in the Presidential campaign.

Sweet Surprise: Part II

So I couldn't resist running this campaign by some first-year students I have this year in a Health Communication in the Media course. Their reaction to the campaign was mixed - some liked it, some didn't. I think they were a little surprised to see the press release from the AMA that is on the Sweet Surprise home page - that's a pretty big deal, and the AMA message doesn't come through particularly well during the existing TV commercials.

I asked the students to improve the campaign and try to do a better job spreading the Sweet Surprise message.

I think all the teams really wanted to include the information from the AMA press release, but they also wanted to avoid coming off as cheesy. This, of course, is the result of seeing too many Yaz commercials where young women are talking in a bar and all the fair balance information is provided by the woman who "didn't go to med school for nothing!" Ugh.

Anyway, the students had a couple interesting ideas, including:

• Putting a mom and child in a pediatrician's office. Then there would be some sort of interaction where the pediatrician could give the kid a sucker (or whatever) at the end of the visit, the mom might wonder why the doctor would provide a "bad" treat with HFCS, and the pediatrician could then do some education and include the AMA message.

• To reach an older audience, they wanted to locate the ad in a gym. Then some obviously-healthy man or woman could be shown drinking a "bad"sports drink with HFCS in it. The same general conversation would occur after the healthy person is questioned by someone else about why they're drinking something with HFCS.

With only 10-15 minutes to brainstorm about this, they did quite a nice job figuring out how to incorporate the AMA press release info without coming off as corny. Not a bad effort, and I know my initial hunch is that such commercials might be a little more effective in terms of credibility and spreading the word for the Sweet Surprise campaign.

Sweet Surprise

There's a new campaign running from the Corn Refiners Association asking people to head to SweetSurprise.com to learn more about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The ad at right is one execution of this campaign, there's another that features two moms at a birthday party.

Leaving the science out of this, I'm having a hard time grasping the strategy for this campaign... Is it effective to portray the person who thinks that HFCS is bad as someone who apparently can't even string together a coherent sentence when challenged about why HFCS is bad? Presumably the campaign is meant to influence people who think that HFCS is bad. So now the campaign is asking that viewer to identify with the person in the ad who (from the point of view of the pro-HFCS person) isn't even smart enough to have reasons for thinking HFCS is bad. Is that who the viewer wants to identify with? I'm guessing probably not.

Anyway, that campaign is running a lot right now, but (in my humble opinion) it seems pretty doomed to failure given a major flaw in the basic strategy behind the campaign and what they're trying to communicate.

Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs

I caught this blurb in a RWJ e-mail newsletter today, and was quite intrigued:

Despite an uptick in the number of employers offering wellness programs, a new survey conducted by Hewitt Associates suggests that few workers are participating in the initiatives, the Hartford Courant reports. Based on a survey of 248 large- and mid-size companies, the study finds that, although more than half of companies offered smoking cessation and weight management programs, less than 5 percent of eligible employees actually participated in them, and less than half of employers were satisfied with the programs' results.

The full note is available here.

I was especially interested in this since I'm in the middle of helping The University of Texas at Austin Division of Housing and Food Service roll out a new wellness program. We have a really nice team in place from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, and I'm the oddball from Advertising.

We're only a couple weeks into the program, but I'm pretty sure we've already crossed 5% of the employees participating in the program - which ranges from personalized fitness trainers available before/after work and educational offerings (financial and nutrition this semester). We engaged the employees throughout the process of developing the program (a few focus groups, a large survey) and seem to have hit a great community of employees with very supportive leadership. If we keep rolling along like this, I think we're going to have some interesting findings (regarding improved wellness) and best practices to share at the end of the project.