Research summary
As we have all learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, how we communicate about international health can have a significant influence on people’s behaviours and the resulting outcomes for communities and countries. Clear, competent, consistent communications are critical in health care and deserve close attention.
Dr. Heidi Tworek, Canada Research Chair in History and Policy of Health Communications, is examining the history and policy of international health communications, particularly during epidemics. She and her research team are building an interdisciplinary scholarly network around health communications and using the latest techniques in big data research to understand how previous epidemics were communicated. Ultimately, they will make concrete recommendations for improving health outcomes in Canada and abroad.