Introducing our new Science Communication Module: Challenges in Health Communication

During Academic year 25/26, as part of our Science Communication MSc, we will launch a new and exciting health communication optional module, co-delivered by STS academics and BBC News health reporter, presenter and former medical doctor Smitha Mundasad. It will explore how to communicate around health issues in a rapidly changing global context. In class, we will address 'health' as a boundary concept and explore how its communication works in society across different stakeholders. Examples of topics explored in the module include: the function, language and role of health communication in pandemic preparedness; vaccine hesitancy; health inequality; climate change; doctor/patient encounters.

Smitha Mundasad has worked at the BBC for more than a decade, making radio documentaries, children’s science programmes, and writing and reporting on a wide range of breaking news stories for the BBC News website, radio, TV and social platforms. Our sessions will be very interactive and hands-on, covering the most important practical aspects of health communication. We will look at how to communicate in rapidly evolving health emergencies – what language is best to use? Which media works best? Where do we get the most trusted information and what are the most important questions to ask?  We will look at how climate change and global health interact and how to report on this accurately. We will think about the growing world of health influencers and how to critically evaluate the latest health claims. Classes will often be centred on real-life scenarios and will bring in experience from the newsroom, looking at what worked and what didn’t, equipping you with essential skills to communicate health.