Better Communication for Better Public Health: Perspectives From an Interdisciplinary Training Program

Rebecca J. Shlafer, Annie Laurie McRee, Amy L. Gower, Linda H. Bearinger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Myriad factors determine the health of young people—biological, psychological, familial, contextual, environmental, and political, to name a few. Improving the health of adolescents means that leaders in health care and public health must have the requisite skills for translating research into priorities, practices, and policies that influence a wide array of health determinants. While adolescent health training programs may give emphasis to effective communication with adolescents as patients or as priority populations in health education/promotion efforts, are we adequately preparing our future leaders with the skill sets necessary for moving scientific evidence into practice, programs, and policies? Internship and fellowship programs may invest heavily in teaching skills for conducting research and health education/promotion, but they may not focus enough on how to translate scientific evidence into practice, programs, and policy. In this commentary, we share our experiences equipping professionals working with adolescents in health care and public health settings with skills for scientific writing, public speaking, and advocacy on behalf of young people, and discuss the need for more collaboration across disciplines.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)165-168
Number of pages4
JournalHealth Promotion Practice
Volume17
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

Keywords

  • career development/professional preparation
  • child/adolescent health
  • health promotion

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