The University of Illinois' Health Communication Online Master of Science (HCOM) program will host the third annual, 100 percent online conference, titled: Health Communication Barriers, Breakthroughs, and Best Practices (HCB3), February 25 through March 1, 2019, and has issued a call for presentations from academics and professionals engaged in health communication.

The conference will be appropriate for professionals in many areas of healthcare, particularly those with an interest in the intersections between technology and patient experiences, health literacy, provider-patient communication, cultural health communication, e-health accessibility, and application of theory to real-world practice.

This year’s conference will host the inaugural Dale Brashers Memorial Lecture. Professor Brashers played a pivotal role in the Department of Communication for more than two decades. One of his many accomplishments during this time was his vision for the program at the University of Illinois. Sadly, he passed away just a few months prior to the program’s first class. Delivering the 2019 Dale Brashers Memorial Lecture is Dr. Susan Morgan, from the University of Miami. 

“The Dale Brashers Memorial Lecture represents the very best in Health Communication scholarship. Following in the example provided to us by Dale, this year's presenter, Dr. Susan Morgan, continues to make significant contributions, both in theory and practice,” said Brian Quick, Director, Health Communication Online Master of Science Program, Department of Communication.

The open call for presentations invites participation from educators, graduate students, postdoctoral students, researchers, and professionals of all healthcare fields to submit presentations for this conference. As HCB3 will be online and asynchronous, a wide variety of presentation modes (video, PowerPoint presentations and Prezi) are encouraged to create a dynamic and interactive conference community. Prospective authors may submit their presentations via electronic submission process for consideration through January 15, 2019. 

During the conference, each presentation will be rated by conference attendees and an award will be given to the top 10 best presentations (determined by number of views and average rating).

About the HCB3 Sponsor: The HCOM Program

The Health Communication Online Master of Science (HCOM) program provides a unique perspective and approach to health communication, recognizing that health outcomes depend significantly on communication processes. The HCOM program is asynchronous and offered 100 percent online with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary mix of health communication specializations including interpersonal, family, organizational, socially mediated, and cultural communication. These specializations appeal to interests in a wide variety of professional healthcare fields, including medicine, nursing, pharmaceuticals, public health, healthcare administration, and patient advocacy. The pace of the program accommodates the lifestyle of the working professional, enabling students to advance their expertise and education without sacrificing work or home life.

About Dr. Susan Morgan:

Dr. Susan E. Morgan (BA, University of Massachusetts, 1990; MA, University of Arizona, 1993; Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1997) is the Associate Provost for Research Development and Strategy at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, USA, where she also holds an appointment as Full Professor in the Communication Studies department.  Until 2017, she served as Associate Dean for Research for the School of Communication as well as the Director for the Center for Communication, Culture, and Change. 

Dr. Morgan’s research interests involve the design and evaluation of persuasive messages targeting health behavior change in multicultural populations. Her research has been supported by over $12 million in grant funding from state and national sources, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Morgan's current research uses qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to investigate message design features that increase the effectiveness of health-promotive campaigns.  Her current area of primary interest is in cancer communication, particularly the development of multilevel interventions designed to improve clinical trial accrual.  Much of her previous research involved developing and evaluating multimedia campaigns to promote organ donation in worksite and community settings. Additionally, Dr. Morgan has conducted large-scale studies of how the mass media frames organ donation and the effects of that framing on public attitudes and behaviors toward donor registration.  

Dr. Morgan serves on the editorial boards of five journals and is an active reviewer for 15 journals. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the area of health communication. Her research has appeared in medical and leading social science journals including Clinical Transplantation, Communication Monographs, Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Health Psychology, and the Journal of the National Medical Association. She is also the author of a book, From Numbers to Words: Reporting Statistical Results for the Social Sciences.