Dr. K. “Vish” Viswanath is the Director of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness. He also holds a joint appointment at the MacGraw-Patterson Center for Population Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is the Director of the Center for Translational Health Communication Science at Harvard Chan and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Viswanath’s work, drawing from literatures in communication science, social epidemiology, and social and health behavior sciences, focuses on translational communication science to influence public health policy and practice. His primary research is in documenting the relationship between communication inequalities, poverty, and knowledge translation to address health disparities.
He has written more than 200 journal articles and book chapters concerning communication inequalities and health disparities, knowledge translation, public health communication campaigns, e-health and digital divide, public health preparedness, and the delivery of health communication interventions to underserved populations. He is the Co-Editor of three books: Mass Media, Social Control and Social Change (Iowa State University Press, 1999), Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research & Practice (Jossey Bass, 2015), and The Role of Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use (National Cancer Institute, 2008). He was also the Editor of the Social and Behavioral Research section of the 12-volume International Encyclopedia of Communication (Blackwell Publishing, 2008).
In recognition of his academic and professional achievements, Dr. Viswanath has received several awards, including the Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award For Excellence in Tobacco Research, American Society for Preventive Oncology (2014), the Dale Brashers Distinguished Mentorship Award, National Communication Association (2013), Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award (2010), jointly given by the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association, and the Mayhew Derryberry Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) for his contribution to health education research and theory (2009).