Research in the Department of Communication

The Department of Communication demonstrates scholarship by encouraging faculty and student research. Also in the department is this journal:

Women and Language

Health Information Needs of Vietnamese Immigrants for Cancer Prevention

This is a developing multi-phase collaborative assessment, intervention, and evaluation research project, where we have translated the Health Information National Trends Survey into Vietnamese, and are administering it via the telephone to a sample of Vietnamese-American immigrants in the capital metropolitan region of Washington, DC and in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, where there are large concentrations of Vietnamese immigrants. It is being prepared as an R01 multi-year research grant submission to the NIH. Gary Kreps is the PI. Tim Gibson and Elizabeth Chong (from the College of Health and Human Services) are co-Investigators. We will also conduct in-depth personal interviews with community leaders and focus group interviews with groups of community members, which in combination with the responses to the HINTS survey will guide our collaborative development of community-based information interventions with local community groups. We plan to use culturally indigenous media and local community organizations to develop and implement our interventions. We are already working with several Vietnamese community groups, local public health departments, and health care delivery systems.

Health Information Needs of Korean Immigrants for Cancer Prevention

This is a developing community participative assessment research project, where we have translated the Health Information National Trends Survey into Korean, and will administer it via the telephone to a sample of Korean-American immigrants in Northern Virginia, where there are large concentrations of Korean immigrants. This study has been submitted as an R03 multi-year pilot research grant submission to the NIH. Gary Kreps is the Co-PI and research mentor. Kyeung Mi Oh (from the College of Health and Human Services) is the PI for this study. We will also conduct in-depth personal interviews with community leaders and focus group interviews with groups of community members, which in combination with the responses to the HINTS survey will guide collaborative development of community-based information interventions with local community groups. We plan to use culturally indigenous media and local community organizations to develop and implement our interventions. We are already working with several Korean community groups, local public health departments, and health care delivery systems.

Health Information Needs of Latino Immigrants for Cancer Prevention

This is a developing community participative assessment research project, where we have translated the Health Information National Trends Survey into Spanish, and will administer it in-person in community clinics within the Washington, DC metropolitan area to a sample of Latin-American immigrants, where there are large concentrations of Latino immigrants. This study is being conducted in cooperation with the Latin American Cancer Research Coalition, an NCI funded health disparities research center as a pilot research project. Gary Kreps is the Co-PI and research mentor. Melinda Villagran is the PI for this study.

Our larger goal from these three research projects is to develop a model for working with at-risk immigrant communities and to conduct similar intervention research projects in the future. These groups tend to be very insular and have not learned to speak, read, or write English very well, which makes it difficult for them to access health information. They have very low rates of cancer screening, high rates of different forms of cancer, and disproportionately high rates of morbidity and mortality from these cancers. We suspect we will identify significant health information gaps with our data gathering, as well as unique culturally-sensitive mechanisms and opportunities for narrowing these information gaps and promote cancer prevention and control. We also want to help develop long-term systemic changes within these communities for enhancing access to relevant health information and for promoting health.

Los Hablamos Juntos (We Speak Together), Bilingual Communication in Health Care: Developing Effective Interpreting Knowledge and Skills

This is a collaborative intervention and training program conducted by the Department of Communication at George Mason University and the Inova Health System. It is funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Gary Kreps is the PI for this study. We are developing and implementing an Interpreter Communication Training Certificate Program for bilingual hospital employees to help them serve as communication liaisons between health care providers and non-English speaking health care consumers. Courses are being designed for individuals who are fluent in English and at least one other language (for example, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, etc.), and will help them develop the knowledge and skills necessary for providing effective language interpretation services in health care settings. The courses emphasize the professional and ethical communication responsibilities of medical interpreters. They will examine the unique cultural influences on communication between diverse consumers and providers within the modern health care system. The courses will also cover basic knowledge about medical terminology, health care delivery systems, common health conditions, treatments and procedures.

Health Literacy and Cultural Competence National Training Program

This research and development program is designed to create, evaluate, and distribute a comprehensive and interactive Multimedia Health Literacy and Cultural Competence Training Program for health care providers and educators funded by the US Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) at health care clinics and hospitals around the nation. HRSA provides funding to support the delivery of health care to high-risk, low-education, and low-income consumers who often confront significant problems due to limited health literacy skills. This training program will be developed to help enhance the delivery of care and health education services to these audiences. Gary Kreps is working with C2 Technologies, Inc. as a senior scientific consultant to this research and development program.

The Center for Health and Risk Communication (CHRC)

The CHRC coordinates health promotion, risk reduction, and strategic communication research and training outreach activities for the Department of Communication. It is directed by Gary Kreps. The CHRC has established a national contract training program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s CDC University for providing health, risk, and strategic communication courses for CDC staff, state and regional public health officers, and first-responders to public health emergencies. The CHRC is in the process of establishing a research contract with the Kaiser Family Foundation to conduct national health marketing research on the delivery of health services to medicare recipients. (Gary Kreps is the PI and Xiaomei Cai, Jim McAuley, and Ed Maibach are co-investigators on the Kaiser Family Foundation study). The CHRC works with government agencies, educational centers, corporations, and non-profit organizations to conduct health communication and risk prevention research and outreach programs.

The Center of Excellence in Climate Change Communication Research (CECCCR)

The CECCCR coordinates research and outreach activities to mobilize public, systemic, and legislative action to support environmental protection and global safety. The CECCCR is directed by Ed Maibach. The CECCCR is planning international research, outreach, and training activities in concert with federal agencies, research foundations, and non-profit organizations to increase public awareness and action to reduce global warming.

The Center for Social Science Research (CSSR)

Sophisticated community research and evaluation studies are being conducted the CSSR to address key social and political issues within the capital region. Gary Kreps and Jim McAuley are members of the steering committee for the CSSR and Carl Botan, Kathy Rowan, Mark Hopson, Xiaomei Cai, and Xiaoquan Zhao are faculty affiliates. The CSSR has modern research facilities for computer-assisted telephone interviewing, direct observation analysis, and focus group and personal interviewing. The CSSR facilitates important research collaborations across disciplines and organizations. The center also sponsors regular research colloquia and seminars open to faculty and graduate students.

The Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA)

The CMPA is a nonpartisan research and educational organization supported by the Department of Communication at George Mason University which conducts scientific studies of the news and entertainment media. S. Robert Lichter is the President of the CMPA where he conducts numerous studies of media coverage of politics and public affairs. CMPA election studies have played a major role in the ongoing debate over improving the election process. For example, CMPS continuing analysis and tabulation of late night political jokes provides a lighter look at major news-makers. CMPA is also one of the few research centers to study the important role the media plays in communicating information about health risks and scientific issues. Faculty and graduate students have opportunities to participate in CMPA research and educational programs.

The Center for Statistical Analysis of Media (STATS)

STATS is a nonpartisan research and educational organization supported by the Department of Communication at George Mason University which monitors the media to expose the abuse of science and statistics before people are misled and public policy is distorted. S. Robert Lichter is the President of STATS. Since 1994, STATS has sought to hold U.S. journalists to the highest standards of reporting accuracy, while providing them with concrete assistance to help them better understand the complexities and limitations of scientific and statistical material.

The National Center for Biodefense

George Mason University's National Center for Biodefense (NCB) promotes awareness of the national and international security challenges and medical and public health threats posed by biological terrorism and biological weapons proliferation. Gary Kreps, Kathy Rowan, and Carl Botan are faculty affiliates of the National Center for Biodefense, where they study communication policy, application, and training aspects of homeland security, risk communication, crisis management, and prevention of terrorism. NCB scientists are engaged in innovative biomedical and social scientific research to develop unique approaches and techniques for reducing the threats of terrorism in the US. Through consultation, education, and training outreach to government agencies, the scientific community, and the general public, the center offers expertise on medical and public health responses to biological terrorism and educates a new generation of researchers to better understand biological weapons threats and how to mitigate them.

Fall 2006 & Spring 2007

Professor Katherine Rowan is currently conducting research so that local communities can increase local emergency preparedness training. Read more about her work by clicking here.
Dr. Mark Hopson spent two weeks in Trinidad and Tobago on a research grant through the Administrative Justice program.
Drs. Kreps, Rowan and Botan gave a presentation on risk and emergency communication at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association in Dresden, Germany.
Dr. Kreps traveled to Malaysia where he gave the keynote addresses in Kuala Lumpur at the Malaysian National Summit for Breast Cancer Education. He also keynoted at the Pre-Summit Scientific Conference on Breast Cancer Education.
Grants have been secured by Professors Dickerson, Botan, Kreps, among others.
Professor Bob Lichter is a featured speaker for a conference on agenda-setting to be held in Europe this fall.
Professor Lont and associates have been hard at work ensuring a smooth transition to the new video production facilities to be used in the fall.
Professor Sheryl Friedley, as schedules and space deputy, has been working to ensure that we have instructors for all classes this fall and spring.

Spring 2006:

Dr. Gary Kreps Received the Pfizer Visiting Professorship
Dr. Jim McAuley received the Tibbetts Career Achievement Award
Dr. Cindy Lont received the Crystal Communicator Award