Health and medical communication

ACT road safety street sign

This research theme focuses on aspects of the communication of sciences that are interwoven with health and medical phenomena.

Good science communication ensures that citizens can make well informed and educated decisions and are able to think critically when it comes to their health and wellbeing.

The realm of health and medicine is continually expanding and evolving, and understanding how these advancements will affect the lives of individuals and communities is a complex yet crucial task.

Our research investigates:

  • how to improve health and medical communication 
  • differences in knowledge between lay persons and experts when it comes to health and wellbeing
  • what factors are important when making medical decisions
  • why people accept or reject common medical advice
  • who people trust as sources of medical information
  • how cultural perspectives affect health communication

Relevant CPAS courses are:

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Students also undertake research in this theme for undergraduate coursework, postgraduate coursework and higher degrees by research.

Contact theme convenor Dr Rod Lamberts for more information or click on the other tabs to find related people, projects, news and events.

Photo from The Riot Act. 

Academic staff

Collaborator

Student

Project Status
'Killer bugs' - Balancing health and hype in the media: A discourse analysis and comparison of Australian press reports on meningococcal disease and pneumococcal disease Completed
Accessing visual communication modes to promote an understanding of Alzheimer’s disease in the digital realm Completed
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Using Social Media to Promote and Educate on Health Issues Completed
An evaluation of the regulation of preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Australia Completed
ANU health and wellbeing communication with students Completed
Australian National University Student Health Survey Completed
Bridging the gap between the science of childhood immunisation and parents Completed
Characterising a movement against cancer research Completed
Communicating endometriosis to young women to decrease diagnostic time Completed
Communicating organisational outcomes using simple performance indicators: a case study using ACT elective surgery waiting lists Completed
Communication of hysterectomy information to Australian women Current
Communication on menstruation: Women’s knowledge, health risks, disposable products, and the environment Completed
Designing a treatment information website for cancer patients Completed
Getting the point across: a study into the effects of vaccination interventions on vaccine uptake Completed
How young Australians communicate about mental ill health on Facebook Completed
Investigating Scientific Representations of Suicide in Documentary Film Completed
Is a photograph worth a thousand words? The communication of Alzheimer’s disease research using visual interdisciplinary methodologies Completed
Know your genes: a study of programs that provide information about genes and inherited conditions Completed
Parental values, preferences and issues with sex education in Australian schools Completed
Public perceptions of animal experimentation in research Completed
Sex on campus: Investigating sexual health promotion in universities Completed
The case for social media as a tool for early intervention in mental ill health Completed
The discourse concerning internet addiction among researchers and the publics Completed
The influence of the musical Rent on the HIV/AIDS campaign in the US in the years 1996-2011 Completed
The mental illness information survey: exploring the mental illness communication environment in the lay community. Vol. l & 2 Completed
The role of long term aged care facilities: expectations of responsibility Completed
Vaccination: Perceptions, Attitudes and Behaviour Completed
Would plain packaging for alcohol communicate health risk factors to youth? Completed
Young Australians’ opinion of pharmacotherapy as a treatment strategy for depression Completed