Summary

The establishment of the CHRC paralleled the development of innovative new health and risk communication graduate programs at both the Masters and Doctoral levels within the Department of Communication, as well as the development of a strong cadre of distinguished faculty scholars with expertise in health and risk communication.

Department faculty have received increased national and international recognition for their scholarship and growing external support for health and risk communication research and educational activities from a variety of government agencies and private foundations.

OnAir Post: CHRC

Information

GMU Webpages: communication.gmu.edu/research-and-centers/center-for-health-and-risk-communication

Email: hlthcomm@gmu.edu
Phone: Communication Office 703-993-1090; Gary Kreps,703-993-1094
Address: Robinson Hall A 339AB
Fairfax, Va. 22030

Director: Gary Kreps

Overview

Health and risk communication are areas of great interest and expertise within the Department of Communication and there are growing research and education programs at Mason in this area. Health and risk communication are important interrelated areas of study and application. Health communication examines the communication processes central to the delivery of health care and promotion of health, including health care provider consumer interactions, informed health care decision making, the provision of social support, the development and implementation of health promotion campaigns, and the uses of media and information technologies within the health care system. Risk communication examines strategic communication of serious health and safety risks to relevant publics, government officials, and first-responders, including media management, risk prevention, preparation, and response to health and crisis situations.

The Center for Health and Risk Communication (CHRC) provides an important organizational framework for stimulating innovative health and risk communication research collaborations, health promotion intervention projects, and community interventions. The establishment of the CHRC parallels the development of innovative new health and risk communication graduate programs at both the Masters and Doctoral levels within the Department of Communication, as well as the development of a strong cadre of distinguished faculty scholars with expertise in health and risk communication. Department faculty have received increased national and international recognition for their scholarship and growing external support for health and risk communication research educational activities from a variety of federal agencies and private foundations.

Active research collaborations have been established with leading health and safety scholars across George Mason University and many other national and international research centers. The Department has served as host for several distinguished international health and risk communication scholars who have engaged in collaborative research while at Mason.

The CHRC helps to connect the Department of Communication with a number of relevant external constituencies outside the university, such as the National Cancer Institute (NCI’s) Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, the NCI Cancer Information Service, the CDC’s National Center for Health Marketing, the AHRQ’s John M. Eisenberg Clinical Decisions and Communications Science Center, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health e-Technologies Program, the Coalition for Health Communication, and a number of other important federal agencies and private foundations). There CHRC will be a focal point for plans to establish an innovative new DC-area Research Consortium of Health Communication Programs with collaborations between GMU, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and Howard University.

CHRC is also a sponsor and organizer of the biennial DC Health Communication Conference. The 2017 conference is the 4th DCHC conference. To learn more about previous DCHC conferences, go here http://dchc.gmu.edu/

Research Team

Director

Gary Kreps

Health communication/promotion, multicultural relations, social organizations, applied research methods, health informatics, communication campaigns, social change

Founding Scholars

Don M Boileau
Emeritus Faculty
Public speaking, classroom communication, intercultural communication, communication theories, rhetorical criticism, parliamentary procedure
Carl Botan
Professor
Strategic communication as it is used in both public relations and strategic and emergency communication
Xiaomei Cai
Associate Professor, MA Program Director, Undergraduate Honors Director
Children and media; Media effects
Warren D Decker
Professor, Debate Director
Michael Dickerson
Instructor, Director of Outreach & Internships
Public relations
Andy Finn
Associate Professor
Public communication, media systems
Tim Gibson
Associate Professor
Critical media studies, mass communication theory, and urban communication
Mark C Hopson
Associate Professor, PhD Program Director
Intercultural/Interracial Communication & Rhetoric
Steve Klein
Emeritus Faculty
Cross-platform journalism, sports journalism, history of journalism
Samuel Robert Lichter
Professor, Director; Center for Media and Public Affairs
Political communications, political sociology, and health and risk communication
Cindy Lont
Professor
Video-based production
Edward Maibach
Professor, Director; Center for Climate Change Communication
Climate change communication, public health communication, social marketing
William J McAuley
Emeritus Faculty
Aging, health and long-term care
Star A. Muir
Associate Professor
Rhetoric and technology, public communication, digital natives
Anne M. Nicotera
Chair
Professor
Health communication, nursing communication, communicative/interactive constitution of organization, race and gender, diversity, and culture and organizations
Peter M Pober
Professor
Director of Forensics, Distinguished Service Professor, Performance studies, rhetoric, aesthetics, intercultural communication, interpersonal communication
Katherine E Rowan
Professor, Director; Undergraduate Program, Science Communication Certificate Program
Risk communication, science communication, public relations. Director, Science Communication Graduate Program
Catherine Wright
Undergraduate Advising Coordinator
My interests lie in the uses and applications of technology in communication, especially in terms of how new innovations are shared with others, as well as how students apply these out of the classroom.
Xiaoquan Zhao
Health Communication Minor Director
Health communication, persuasion, media effects, information seeking, tobacco prevention, and climate change communication