NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2006

Contact: Contact: Mike Emery
713.743.8186 (office)
713.415.6551 (pager)
pemery@uh.edu

WHAT’S UP, DOC?: HEALTH COMMUNICATION PROGRAM TO START AT UH
Degree Concentration to Bolster Health Literacy and Prepare
Students for Careers in Health Care

HOUSTON, Aug. 14, 2006 – Imagine sitting in a hospital waiting room while your mother is undergoing major surgery. A surgeon approaches you and your family delivering the words, “She might die,” and briskly walks away with no other information.

Such an experience many years ago motivated Jim Query, University of Houston associate professor of communication, to develop the university’s new Health Communication degree concentration, which will offer its first courses to undergraduate communication majors starting this fall.

Offered through UH’s School of Communication, Health Communication courses will provide students with information and skills to utilize as health care professionals and consumers. They also will help prepare students for careers as patient liaisons and advocates, public relations professionals, health reporters and communication positions at nonprofit organizations, medical institutions and government agencies. Courses will also be constructive for medical professionals who are interested in bolstering their communication skills during interactions with patients and their family members.

“When my mother’s surgeon was so non-communicative about her condition, my family was fortunate that a nurse quickly arrived to answer questions and provide detailed information. That’s not always the case for everyone,” Query said. “UH’s Health Communication curriculum will help enhance dialogues between health care professionals and patients or patients’ families.”

The Health Communication degree concentration will offer two specializations: Health Care Delivery (HCD) and Public Health Promotion (PHP). Students successfully completing 12 hours in either HCD or PHP specializations, as well as additional required undergraduate coursework, will receive a bachelor of arts in communication with a concentration in Health Communication.

“It goes without saying that Houston is home to a vast array of medical facilities and resources. A Health Communication concentration is a natural fit for both the university and the city,” said Beth Olson, director of the School of Communication. “It appears to be the right moment for us to move in the health communication direction. Jim Query has done a great job positioning us to do this. Many programs across the country are doing the same thing.”

HCD courses will focus on the analysis of health care situations such as communication between physicians and consumers, multicultural health communication and communication during health emergencies. Among the required classes for this specialization is Provider-Patient Interaction, which will be offered this fall.

Taught by Martha Haun, associate professor of communication, the course will utilize a variety of methods to prepare students to communicate effectively with both physicians and patients. Role-playing exercises will place students in situations where they will assume the character of providers, patients and family members. Scenarios will include an elderly person’s visit to a doctor and the difficult task of a physician reporting bad news to patients and their families.

PHP courses are focused on the different strategies used in health campaigns that promote health and behavior change. Among PHP courses are Health Campaigns, Health Campaign Evaluations and Health Campaign Principles and Tailored Messages.

“Now more than ever, organizations and advocacy groups are strategically targeting messages regarding wellness, diet, exercise and disease prevention. These can include anti-smoking or safe sex campaigns, or information on the importance of donating blood,” Query said. “Courses in the PHP specialization will center on generating communication to motivate people to take charge of their lives and make decisions regarding their bodies.”

Required coursework for both HCD and PHP specializations includes E-Health and Telemedicine, which is offered this fall by Shawn McCombs, clinical professor of communication. The class investigates how technology such as the Internet is used in health communication.

Another requisite is Health Literacy, a class that explores communication challenges and solutions related to how well people are aware of their own bodies.

“The 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey showed that more than 90 million Americans had inadequate literacy, and the researchers applied the results to mirror health literacy levels,” Query said. “Ample research has shown that high numbers of people cannot indicate whether their stomach is part of their digestive or respiratory systems for example. That is alarming.”

Query is currently developing a master’s concentration in Health Communication, and three graduate level courses already have been approved. These include Health Communication Theory & Research, Health Literacy, and Provider-Patient Interaction, which will be offered this fall.

Health Communication is one of seven undergraduate degree concentrations offered by UH’s School of Communication.

For information about UH’s School of Communication, visit http://www.class.uh.edu/comm/#.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.