Bringing Genetics and Public Health to You
My main mission in producing the Genetics and Public Health Blog is to make genetics and public health less of a mystery to non-scientists.
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, president of the American Council on Science and Health, gives these pointers to scientific communicators:
a) Boil your message down to two or three short sentences.
b) Do not be afraid to use the four-letter word “safe” (as in “our food supply is safe”). While that term may not be acceptable in a university seminar discussion (nothing is risk-free), it is acceptable in communicating relative risk to the public.
c) Use humor where appropriate.
d) Explicitly address the prevailing misconceptions — and authoritatively dismiss them (”I am aware that consumers believe that pesticides pose a health risk, but there is no evidence that the regulated, approved use of pesticides has ever caused disease or death”).
e) Be animated in your presentation, and look as if you are delighted to have the opportunity to be there.
f) Smile.
I hope that this blog will live up to these guidelines and more.
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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health
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