Core C: Communication and Dissemination

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Core C. Communication and Dissemination Core PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Communication and Dissemination Core (C) will handle all aspects of communication within CPHA between members, and dissemination of information regarding center activities to CPHA members, the larger Duke community, the scientific community, the public, and the NIA. Previously, these tasks were handled exclusively by Core A and its director. However, formal reporting requirements have expanded both internally (to the university) and externally, to the NIH. Further, recent history has shown that the general public has little if any knowledge of precisely what academic researchers do, and this lack of understanding has, at least in part, led to skepticism of “expert” research findings and conclusions involving promoting interventions that may seem counterintuitive or overly burdensome to the lay person. Worse still, the lack of understanding has led to a political climate in which a significant proportion of the voting age population seem to support the reduction or elimination of funding for NIH and other agencies that sponsor important research. Thus, a key goal of this core is to provide a coherent approach to disseminating research findings to the public and specifically explaining how they are important for their lives and well-being. We will do this via extant channels, such as our website, social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn, as well as through direct public outreach via at least one annual CPHA “open house” in which we invite members of the local community to view posters summarizing current research activities of members of the center, including pilot projects. These posters will be produced with a focus on showing the direct relevance of our research to the well-being of the public. In addition, we will produce and disseminate AI-generated research briefs and podcasts for public consumption. This standalone core will involve a reorganization of some of our current efforts, including a revision of our website (in progress), as well as efforts by the core director and PI to establish relationships with the Duke Communications Office and other general communication channels that already exist at Duke but have yet to be exploited by CPHA. These efforts will be undertaken during Phase 1 of this grant cycle.