Health Communication is Fundamental—Not Just During a Crisis (with Stacey King)

Design for Disruption

The public health sector has faced unprecedented challenges (and dare we say it, disruption!) since the beginning of the pandemic, and has been at the forefront of public discourse. When it comes to communicating about health, what challenges are public health professionals facing—both related to COVID-19 and more broadly? What lessons can other sectors learn about developing messages that break through the clutter, inspire trust, and promote behavior change?

In this episode, the Hairpin team talks to Stacey King. She’s the Director of Field Practice at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and co-leads their Academic Public Health Volunteer Corps. The program was started last March in response to COVID, and mobilizes students and alumni to support local public health departments in Massachusetts with data collection, contact tracing, and health communication. Prior to that, she worked for the Cambridge Public Health Department, where she led health promotion and marketing efforts and later served as Director of the Community Health & Wellness Division.

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Executive Producer: Kristen Hughes

Editor: Susie Blair

Narrator: Nick Tetrault

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