Gain the essential skills to communicate accurate health information in an effective way, across a range of audiences.
6 weeks, excluding
orientation
6–8 hours per week,
self-paced learning online
Weekly modules,
flexible learning
Improve the way you relay healthcare information and manage conversations as a communications professional in the healthcare industry
Enhance your presentation skills as a doctor, healthcare, or science worker to deliver technical information in an understandable and engaging way
Accurately communicate health information to the public, and discern medical and scientific facts as an individual within media or communications
The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to deliver this professional development course. Stanford faculty developed the curriculum and worked with the GetSmarter production team to create the interactive learning experience. Course facilitation, enrollment, and student support are delivered by GetSmarter. GetSmarter and the SCHE team are proud to bring this course to a growing number of professionals worldwide.
The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) supports an effective and efficient approach to the training of health professionals across the globe while empowering the public through access to credible, accessible, and engaging health education. Improving upon conventional approaches to healthcare education, SCHE aims to increase the global availability of well-trained healthcare professionals, create a more informed public, and improve health outcomes in some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand, partners with the world's leading universities and institutions to select, design and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.
Technology meets academic rigor in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.
1
The fundamental principles of effective communication, enabling you to analyze the accuracy of medical information and become a reliable source of knowledge.
2
The skills to communicate scientific information through impactful presentations that resonate clearly with a broad range of audiences.
3
An in-depth understanding of the health information ecosystem, with the relevant media skills to interact effectively in this space.
4
Strategies to navigate challenging conversations around health information, and facilitate productive exchanges with colleagues, patients, the public, and on social media.
Over the duration of this online short course you’ll work through the following modules:
Module 1 Introduction to foundational communication skills
Understand the foundations of effective health communication, and learn the skills required to build strong and trusting relationships.
Module 2 The health information ecosystem
Discover where information comes from, how it spreads, and why false information travels faster and farther than the truth.
Module 3 Medical and scientific presentation skills
Explore tools for effective presentation delivery and learn how to connect with an audience.
Module 4 Navigating challenging conversations
Discover the communication skills that are essential when conducting challenging conversations.
Module 5 Interacting with the media
Explore strategies for communicating more effectively via the media.
Module 6 Putting it all together
Explore the power of improvisation to improve your health communication skills.
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.
Dr. Jonathan S Berek
Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine; Executive Director and Founder, Stanford Health Communication Initiative
Berek, MD, MMS, is a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, as well as an author, editor, and director. In 2019, Dr. Berek launched the Stanford Center for Health Communication, a center conducting research at the intersection of medicine and the media with a focus on the spread of health misinformation. The Center trains healthcare providers in the art and science of effective communication with patients, peers, and the public.
Dr. Seema Yasmin
Director, Stanford Health Communication Initiative; Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford University; Medical Analyst, CNN; Author and Medical Journalist
Dr. Yasmin is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, a medical doctor, and author of four books including Viral BS: Medical Myths and Why We Fall for Them; Muslim Women Are Everything: Stereotype-Shattering Stories of Courage, Inspiration, and Adventure; and If God is a Virus, an anthology of poems based on her reporting on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Yasmin is a medical analyst for CNN and a correspondent for Condé Nast Entertainment. Her writing appears in the New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, Scientific American, and other outlets. She has received two awards from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news. She teaches science storytelling and health journalism at Stanford University, where she’s director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative and clinical assistant professor of medicine.
The Stanford Center for Health Education is collaborating with online education provider, GetSmarter, to create a new class of learning experience — one that is high-touch, intimate, and personalized for the working professional. Join a growing community of global professionals and benefit from the opportunity to:
Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from an international selection of universities and institutions, entirely online and in your own time.
Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience created to make you feel supported at every step.
Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.