Communicating Medical Science to Society

Recommended Prerequisites

Knowledge of english that allow for understanding the bibliography.

Basic knowledge of the scientific method.

Teaching Methods

Teaching will be achieved through case-based discussions of medical science communication that allow for the introduction of each subject. The students are encouraged to criticise the communicator approach for each case.

For the themes 4 to 9, the students will be divided in groups so that learning will be based on role-play exercises in which one or several students play the communicator role on a specific setting, whereas the rest of the group plays the role of the relevant partners (journalist, general public or pears).

The seminar is based on a presentation by a recognized communicator.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the student should have acquired basic competencies that allow one to:

1.         Orally present the results of a scientific study to the general public, including areas of certainty and areas of uncertainty.

2.         Prepare a press release about the results of a research project.

3.         Prepare and successfully answer to a media interview about a scientific project, focusing on the areas of certainty, areas of uncertainty and consequences to the general public.

4.         Prepare and comment on the presentation of research findings on social networks.

5.         Prepare a presentation about one or more scientific studies for a population of patients.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1.         Importance of health communication for the general public.

2.         Health literacy.

3.         Principles of effective health communication.

4.         Explaining results from clinical studies.

5.         Communicating statistical results and uncertainty.

6.         Scientific health communication during crisis.

7.         Dealing with misinformation.

8.         Groups communication techniques.

9.         Media interviews.

10.       New ways of communication.

11.       Ethics in medical science communication

Head Lecturer(s)

Tiago Manuel Pombo Alfaro

Assessment Methods

Assessment method
Laboratory work or Field work: 20.0%
Synthesis work: 80.0%

Bibliography

1.         Portal Science, Health, and Public Trust do NIH: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/science-health-public-trust/checklist-communicating-science-health-research-public.

2.         WHO strategic Framework for effective communications: https://www.who.int/about/communications

3.         J M. How to be a good science communicator. Nature Medicine. 2021;27(10):1656-8.

4.         J., M. How to be a good science communicator. Nat Med 27, 1656–1658 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01528-x.

5.         Bennett DJ, Jennings RC, Bodmer W. Successful Science Communication: Telling It Like It Is: Cambridge University Press; 2011.

6.         Goldstein, C. M., Murray, E. J., Beard, J., Schnoes, A. M., & Wang, M. L. (2020). Science Communication in the Age of Misinformation. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 54(12), 985–990. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaa088.

7.         Cormick C. The Science of Communicating Science: The Ultimate Guide: CSIRO Publishing; 2019.

8.         Quartilho, M.