Communications Breakdown: What Works (and Doesn't) in Health and Science Communication
Communications Breakdown is a new podcast that breaks down what works (and doesn't) in health and science communication. Hosted by Tracy Mehan and Katrina Boylan, this podcast brings you into their world of research translation, health promotion, public health communications strategy, website and social media management, graphic design, and much more.
Communications Breakdown: What Works (and Doesn't) in Health and Science Communication
Welcome to Communications Breakdown!
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of public health messaging? How scientific research moves from dense academic journals to information that actually changes lives? Communications Breakdown is a new podcast that invites you into the world of strategic communication planning, message crafting, and research translation.
We're your hosts, Tracy Mehan and Katrina Boylan, and in this first episode, we'll talk you through:
- why we started Communications Breakdown
- how we each found the field of health communication
- the education and experiences we draw on to create accurate, accessible, eye-catching health promotion campaigns
Whether you're a researcher wanting to share your work more effectively, a communication professional looking to sharpen your skills, or simply someone interested in how health information reaches the public, we're sharing our insights with warmth, humor, and expertise.
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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org
Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.
Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.
Welcome to the very first episode of Communications Breakdown. I'm Katrina Boylan.
Tracy:And I'm Tracy Mehan. We're so excited to be here with you and to finally be launching this project we've been dreaming about for a really long time.
Katrina:For those of you who don't know us, Tracy and I are health communication professionals who have worked together since 2013. Our work focuses on public health, communications, research, science, translation and community engagement.
Katrina:Over the years, we've helped countless public health professionals, researchers and teams think differently about how they communicate and as Tracy said, we have been thinking about this podcast for a very long time time and it's because we keep hearing things from people we work with, people we present to our interns, even just people we've talked to in our regular lives. You know, we hear things like. You know, I've never thought of that that way, or I didn't even know that was a thing.
Tracy:We've also had a lot of people say to us I wish more people could hear you two talk about this stuff. So here we are. That's what this podcast is a place for us to give others a peek behind the curtains at what it looks like, to be a part of our meetings, where we hammer out strategy, messaging, graphic design, social media and even language, sometimes down to the word.
Katrina:So why now? We decided to do this now for a couple of reasons. First, just like you the person listening to this podcast we are getting more of our information and more of our entertainment from things like podcasts, and so we just haven't heard anybody talking about these issues the way we do. And, like I said earlier, people have told us that they want to hear more from us. And secondly, as things around us change faster than ever, minute by minute, it seems, sometimes it feels more important than ever to talk about what we're doing in health and science communication, how we're doing it and frankly why we are doing it. How we're doing it and frankly why we are doing it. We believe research and data have the power to change lives for the better, but it only helps when people can understand and use what's in front of them, which is where our work comes in.
Tracy:Okay, just to give everybody a little bit of background. Communications Breakdown is part of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication, otherwise known as CIRTC. But this podcast isn't just going to be about injury prevention. We're going to break down communications what works and what doesn't, in a variety of different fields. We're also going to be talking about all kinds of health communication topics, everything from plain language and messaging strategy to the use of AI, how we do graphic design and really everything in between.
Katrina:And, to be clear, the thoughts, opinions, perspectives and occasional hot takes you might hear on this podcast are just ours. We are not speaking for our employer any organizations, just us. We are not speaking for our employer, any organizations, just us. So if this podcast is all about our opinions, let's introduce ourselves. Tracy, why don't you go first? Sure?
Tracy:I've been working in communications since the 90s and, yikes, that makes me feel old to say that, but I'm taking the stance. It just means I have a lot of experience In my current role. My team and I help researchers take their work out of the journal and into the community, and that can mean everything from writing press releases, working with journalists, designing educational materials and trainings, managing websites, creating content for social media, giving presentations and so much more. In terms of working with the media, I've been on all sides, from behind the camera on the production side to beside the camera, giving feedback and support to researchers while they're talking to journalists, to being in front of the camera granting media interviews myself everywhere, from national outlets like the camera, granting media interviews myself everywhere, from national outlets like the Today Show and the New York Times to local channels and community partner events. I've also written grants, planned health communication campaigns from start to finish, and developed and run health communication and advocacy programs. I've even created trainings to help others learn how to effectively disseminate their work and talk about their own research. I've really done it all and I've learned a lot along the way.
Tracy:I think my background also plays a role in my understanding of science and how research works. I have an undergrad degree in psychology that really helps me understand the way people think, and a master's degree in communication that trained me on best practices of how to communicate to people in ways that they'll hear and understand. And then I've completed coursework towards a PhD in public health. That helps me know what I need to share with them to lead to behavior change and, honestly, that mix shows up in everything I do. I'm also an early adopter. I love exploring how new tools and technology, most recently AI, can help us work smarter and communicate better. But I think you've heard enough about me at this point, katrina. Why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about your background?
Katrina:Sure.
Katrina:So, as I mentioned earlier, I have been in health communications since 2013, when I started my position with Tracy, but communications has been a common thread for me going back beyond even kind of high school yearbook days, and so I do have a different perspective than most people in this field, because my education is not in public health or even science.
Katrina:In college I was pre-med until I took organic chemistry and, like many others, promptly transferred and in my case, I transferred to the English department, and then I went on to get a Juris Doctor or JD, and I am an inactive licensed attorney.
Katrina:But I like to joke that my real education came from working on the communications staff at the Ohio House of Representatives during undergrad, which is where I really did learn to write for different audiences and in different voices. And so after law school, due to the recession, my career path detoured from where I thought it was going to go and I ended up managing my mom's pediatric practice for a while, and I learned about how few people actually are working in the gaps that exist in the health kind of industry at large, you know, between patients and providers, between providers and insurance, between insurance and patients, and so I discovered that I liked that space and I sought out jobs that would use those skills to improve the system for everyone, and so I ended up here with Tracy and we've been able to do a lot of great work over the years that I am super excited to share more broadly with you all.
Tracy:Now that you know a little more about us, we wanted to give you some ideas about what you can expect from the podcast. We're going to be talking about what it's really like to work in this field, by giving you a peek into our everyday lives, what we're working on and what we're learning, what is working and not working for us, what we're talking about and what we're thinking about. We're also going to talk to some guests who have something to say about the state of health and science communication, especially as it relates to public health. We want to make this a space for real talk, real stories and real growth, both ours and, hopefully, yours.
Katrina:Now we are coming to this podcast with several core beliefs, and the first one is that we believe that researchers and scientists need to get their work out into the world. But secondly, we also believe that there is a science and a skill set to doing this that most researchers just aren't taught or maybe they're not interested in doing this type of work. But it's no longer okay to let that data just sit in the journal, and so, if they don't want to do it themselves, you know there's lots of people they can connect with to do this types of communication work for them. And then, finally, we believe that good communication starts with what the audience needs to hear. We also need to think about how and where they need to hear it, and so Tracy and I spend a lot of our time thinking about these principles and how we can help other people use these principles to communicate more effectively as well.
Tracy:We're also going to reflect on what's happening in the field, trends we're seeing, challenges we're hearing about, even conversations that are bubbling up in our networks. But really, at its essence, this podcast is going to be about practical, hands-on discussions about health communications. We're going to let you into our world and show you what we're thinking about, and we're going to have some fun and laughter along the way. If that sounds good to you, we'd love to have you join us on this journey.
Katrina:More than anything, though, we hope this podcast is helpful. We know a lot of you are learning as you go, and often wearing multiple hats at the same time, just like us, and so you know maybe you're not feeling so confident about your skills or having enough time to get it all done, or maybe you know just having the resources to invest in this type of work, and so we are here to support your work, your creativity and, ultimately, your communication goals.
Tracy:All right. Before we end, I have a couple people I'd like to thank for believing in us. First, my son, RJ, has been encouraging me to do a podcast for years and has always believed that I could do this and that people would listen. So thank you, RJ. I also wanted to thank my brother, Steve, for his support when I shared the idea of communications breakdown with him. He supported it without hesitation and made sure we didn't have any excuses not to do it. And finally, last but not least, I would love to thank my co-host, Katrina. Communications Breakdown would not exist without your hard work and dedication and your belief that this was worth doing, despite all the effort it takes to make it happen. So thank you for going on this adventure with me.
Katrina:Of course and you know, for those of us who, those of you who don't know us we have been on many adventures before, and so, yeah, we're going to plunge into this new space together, and so, again, we're just really excited to share our world and our view of public health and health communications with you. And so that's a wrap for our first episode of Communications Breakdown, but before we go, we have two requests. First, please follow or subscribe to Communications Breakdown wherever you listen to podcasts. This will not only make sure that you don't miss any episodes, but it will also really help us reach new listeners like you, and, if you can, likes and comments will also boost our reach. And also, we'd just love to hear your feedback. And so, secondly, please share this podcast with people you know who might like this content. Many of you are working in spaces outside of our immediate field, and we want to help as many people as possible achieve better health outcomes or share their science or just reach an audience with a message.
Tracy:You can also follow CIRTC C-I-R-T-C on LinkedIn, blue Sky and YouTube. Come to those channels to talk to us, ask questions, share resources, leave your comments and ideas for future episodes. We really do want to hear from you all right, everyone.
Katrina:That's it for this episode. Thank you so much for joining us as we dive into this new space. We really are thrilled to have you along for the ride.
