Communications Breakdown: What Works (and Doesn't) in Health and Science Communication

Send us Fan MailEverything is getting compressed into clips and hot takes, but public health doesn’t fit into five seconds. We wanted to talk about what long-form audio makes possible when the goal is clarity, trust, and real understanding not just getting a quote that survives the edit. Tracy sits down with MJ Wu and…

Send us Fan MailA doctor hands you a post-it note with a disease name, tells you not to Google it, and sends you home. That moment is where a lot of health communication quietly fails, because the next steps happen without the clinician, the communicator, or the system in the room. In this episode we pick up part two…

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we’re sharing a recording of a conference talk where Tracy tells the story behind a firearm safer storage campaign. Her message: subject matter expertise is not the same as audience expertise, and effective health messaging needs both. You’ll hear how bringing in a reviewer who…

Send us Fan MailAnyone working in health and science communication faces a familiar challenge: how to deliver presentations that actually land. Whether you are giving a webinar, a conference talk, or a TED-style lightning talk, strong presentation skills start long before you open PowerPoint. Tracy walks through a…

Send us Fan MailKatrina talks with research writer Laura Dattner about how a health communication career grows from press releases into national injury prevention campaigns and hands-on training for future pediatricians. They break down how to tailor the same research for parents, clinicians, policymakers, and…

Send us Fan MailWe sit down with health communication researcher and podcaster Brian Southwell to explore why misinformation spreads, what trust really means, how to talk about uncertainty, and where AI helps without replacing humans. We share concrete steps to bridge research and practice and lessons from podcasting…

Send us Fan MailWe break down how we plan six months of social content while staying nimble for real‑time events, and we debate a counterintuitive framing tactic that might raise engagement but risks exclusion in public health. We close with a nod to Miss Frizzle and Bill Nye as models for authentic, audience‑first…

Send us Fan MailSome years ask for grit; this one demanded it. We’re closing out the year with a quick conversation about what felt heavy, what still matters, and how we plan to communicate with more heart and clarity in 2026. Our strategy: find the helpers, connect intentionally, and elevate the people doing work we…

Send us Fan MailWe hit our 10th episode by tackling two big tensions in health communication: AI’s fingerprints on our writing and images, and the real work of turning data into stories that lead to decisions. We end with a thoughtful look at trauma‑informed storytelling and a few fun extras for our listeners.• em…

Send us Fan MailBuilding a public health campaign shouldn’t start with what we want to say—it should start with who needs to hear it and what decisions they’re making in the moment. In this episode, we break down some of the things we think about when we create or participate in national campaigns, from pinning down…

Send us Fan Mail"The great enemy of communication...is the illusion of it." In this episode, we pull apart why your message might not be landing with your intended audience—or reaching them at all. From System 1 vs System 2 to creative risk, trade‑offs, and trusted messengers, we cover: • getting your audience's…

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we highlight practical communication strategies that professionals can apply right away to extend their reach and impact. We start with insights from our CIRTC YouTube channel, where viewer trends reveal which skills are in highest demand. From there, we discuss why virtual conferences…