Communicating for Health Impact Lab to build upon UNC legacy of health communication work
September 30, 2021
The new Communicating for Health Impact Lab (CHI Lab) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will build upon a robust legacy of health communication work at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media and the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Dr. Seth Noar
Seth Noar, PhD, the James Howard and Hallie McLean Parker Distinguished Professor at the Hussman School, directs the CHI Lab [pronounced “CHEE”], which will produce communication research that promotes public health.
“I am passionate about how we can use communication to change behavior and prevent disease,” said Noar. “Many of the health challenges of our time involve behavior change, and communication is an important tool we can use for positive impact.
The lab — funded by two research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the United States Food and Drug Administration with a combined total of $5 million — is engaged in two multi-year projects centered around adolescent tobacco and vaping prevention.
Several faculty experts at the UNC Gillings School will work with the Communicating for Health Impact Lab, including:
- Noel Brewer, PhD, Gillings Distinguished Professor in Public Health in the Department of Health Behavior;
- Kurt Ribisl, PhD, Jo Anne Earp Distinguished Professor and chair in the Department of Health Behavior;
- Nisha Gottfredson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior;
- Marissa Hall, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior; and
- Ilona Jaspers, PhD, professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering.
Dr. Noel Brewer
Dr. Kurt Ribisl
Dr. Nisha Gottfredson
Dr. Marissa Hall
Dr. Ilona Jaspers
Talia Kieu
Talia Kieu, a graduate student of health behavior at the Gillings School, is one of three graduate research assistants supporting the CHI Lab. Her work focuses on health equity, especially through the prevention of health disparities due to gender and sexual orientation. At the lab, she is interested in exploring issues around substance use through community-engaged research and community-based participatory approaches.
Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health at sphcomm@unc.edu.
