Perspectives on global health
The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) launched a new effort to bridge the health communications gap on Thursday (Dec. 9), streaming onto the Internet a discussion between Dean Julio Frenk and media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner about the challenges facing global health. The effort, called The Forum at Harvard School of Public Health, is a high-profile foray into health communications that combines live events before an audience with state-of-the-art, high-definition, interactive webcasting. Thursday’s session, moderated by former Washington Post health editor Abigail Trafford, was held in the atrium of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Building. The forum also has a studio in which programs can be produced. Communication is a key aspect of public health, both when a contagion is spreading and when messages about the latest findings on chronic disease or how to live a healthy lifestyle may resonate. Public health officials have long struggled with ways not just to get...