Health Communication in the Digital World: Big Data, Innovation, and the Role of Social Media

ICF International has invited expert panelists from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) to discuss their organizations’ scientific priorities related to social media and behavioral informatics. Attendees will hear how NCI employs a scientific approach to understanding social media usage and its application to health communication research and practice. With the rapid evolution of technology platforms and data science, NCI is also encouraging innovation in evidence-based digital health technologies in order to improve health outcomes at the individual and community levels.

The speakers will illustrate how information gathered via social media and other online platforms helps build the evidence base for health communication research and helps inform practitioners about how they can support behavior change. They will also explore how health IT can be applied to support patient-centered communication and care coordination for cancer prevention and control.

This panel discussion will provide a better understanding of:

• Heath communication research and practice in cancer control efforts—Cancer is a condition for which many patients, their families, and caregivers are highly engaged and motivated to act. Examine the processes and effects of communicating information related to cancer and other diseases. Discuss different modalities, including interpersonal, mass media, print communication, and new informatics platforms to drive toward patient-centered communication and better inform care communication.
• Big data and innovation—Enabling cancer patients to access their health data is a potentially empowering step for improving outcomes. There is also a need for decision support tools that can help patients, families, and caregivers utilize data for improved health outcomes.  The HHS Open Government Plan, public-private partnerships, and funding opportunities that support the translation of evidence-based digital health technologies will also be discussed.

To vet discussion topics for this event and to facilitate networking, ICF will host a live Twitter Chat on November 9th from 12–1 p.m. Follow @ICFhealth on Twitter, and join the conversation using #ICFhif.