Donald Rubin, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Speech Communication, of Language & Literacy Education, and of Linguistics at the University of Georgia. He is also senior researcher at that institution’s Center for Health and Risk Communication.
Much of Dr. Rubin’s work focuses on assessment, training, and analysis of oral communication, including listenability. His current research looks at 1) health literacy and health communication message design, 2) public health workforce development in communication to reduce health disparities, and 3) assessment of language proficiency among non-native speakers of English.
In this podcast, Dr. Rubin talks with Helen Osborne about:
- Interactive health literacy. How do written and spoken communication differ?
- The communication environment. How physical and linguistic aspects affect communication.
- Older adults. A research study about their distinct communication needs.
- Practical strategies. How all health professionals can invite patients/consumers to participate verbally in their health care encounters.
More ways to learn:
- You can email Dr. Rubin directly at drubin@uga.edu
- Check out work on interactive health literacy being conducted at the University of Georgia’s Center for Health and Risk Communication. See especially http://www.chrc.uga.edu/research/healthliteracy.html
- Rubin, D.L. (2008, September). “Readability is Just for Starters in Health Literacy.” Newsletter of the National Public Health Information Coalition, Volume 19, No. 5, p. 4. Available at http://www.nphic.org/news/newsletters.html?start=5
- Rubin, D.L., Hafer, T., & Arata, K. (2000). “Reading and Listening to Oral-Based Versus Literate-Based Discourse.” Communication Education, Volume 49, 121-134.
- Osborne, H. “Communicating When Naked: My Perspective as a Patient.” On Call magazine, May/June 2006. Available at http://www.healthliteracy.com/article.asp?PageID=4221
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. “Quick Tips—When Talking With Your Doctor.” Available at http://www.ahrq.gov/CONSUMER/quicktips/doctalk.htm
- American Association of Retired Persons. “How to Talk to Your Doctor.” Available at http://www.aarp.org/health/staying_healthy/prevention/a2003-03-13-talkdr.html
Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Second Edition (Updated 2018), by Helen Osborne. Relevant chapters include: 1, 24, 27, 32, 41.
Read a transcript of this podcast.
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