Center for Health Communication
The Center for Health Communication defines, teaches, and shares best practices for communicating credible health information in an increasingly skeptical and fragmented world.
Who we are
We prepare public health leaders at Harvard Chan School and beyond to effectively communicate critical health information, influence policy debates, counter misinformation, and increase the public’s trust in health expertise.
Through the Center for Health Communication, students, faculty, and staff at Harvard Chan School can access training and mentorship on key health and science communications skills: strategic communication, storytelling, social media, content creation, media relations, op-ed writing and pitching, climate change communication, and more. Many of these topics are covered in articles, videos, and worksheets in the Center’s publicly available Resource Library. Students can also enroll in courses such as “Engaging with the Press” and “Practical Communication Strategies and Tactics for Influencing a Healthier World” taught by the Center’s faculty affiliates.
Under Amanda Yarnell’s leadership, the Center for Health Communication has placed special emphasis on engaging with today’s media gatekeepers. For example, the Center’s Creator Program welcomes creators who want to counter misinformation and spread evidence-based information about public health on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms. The program connects them with cutting-edge research, policy ideas, and critical new resources in public health communication research. And it fosters collaboration and learning between them and Harvard Chan School faculty and students. The Center also conducts innovative, creator community-engaged health communication research into the effectiveness of such public health x creator partnerships.
What we do
Our research
In collaboration with creators and others working in the creator economy, we are studying how creators are reshaping health narratives and health behaviors—and what it means for society. We are currently working to answer several questions, including (1) How does exposure to evidence-based content toolkits affect creators?, (2) How does “influencing the influencers” affect the health beliefs and behaviors of their audiences?”, and (3) How can we make our supports more useful to creators.