Communication Research and the Response to Ebola: An ICA Panel May 21-25

On May 22, the Health Communication Collaborative (HC3) will participate in a panel discussion on communication research and the Ebola response at the International Communication Association’s 65th Annual Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A teleconference line will be provided for those unable to attend in person. The panel will take place from 9:00 AM – 11:45 AM EDT.

The overall aim of the panel, “Communication Research Response to the Ebola Outbreak: The Only Cure Available,” is to reflect upon the recent outbreak and emphasize the importance of including health communication and culture in a response to rapidly emerging health threats. By providing critical, theoretical, and data-driven perspectives, the panelists will demonstrate the value and capability of communication theory and research in an outbreak.

Using a social ecological approach, the panel will discuss research focused on policy and culture, health systems, community and individual response, and how those areas are integrated. Key integration questions to be discussed include:

• What can communication scholarship and practice reveal about public response to an emerging health issue like Ebola?
• What does an emerging health issue like Ebola reveal about links between different domains of communication theory and praxis?
• What can we learn from the communication response to Ebola that will move the field of health and development communication forward?

The Panel

• Collins Airhihenbuwa – Head and Professor of Bio-behavioral health, The Pennsylvania State University
• Catie Bailard and Silvio Waisbord – School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
• Michael Bailey and Amanda Berman – Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
• Daniel Barnett – Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Maha Bashri – Department of Communication, Bradley University
• Mohan Dutta – Provost Chair Professor and Head, Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
• Maria Elena Figueroa – Department of Health Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Maria Lapinski – Associate Dean for Research, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Professor, Department of Communication and Michigan AgBio Research, Michigan State University
• Rafael Obregon – Chief, Communication for Development Section, Gender, Rights and Civic Engagement Cluster Programme Division, UNICEF
• Shaunak Sastry – Assistant Professor, Department of Communication University of Cincinnati

The Moderators

• Douglas Storey – Director for Communication Science and Research, Center for Communication Programs, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Khadidiatou Ndiaye – Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University