Project List

Previous Projects

Risk Communication, Social Marketing and Media Training Program Development for Disaster Personnel

Principal:
Sarah Bass
Public Health

Participants:
Brenda Seals
Elizabeth Leebron

This project will work with different emergency response workers to assess attitudes and self-efficacy to be effective agents in times of disasters. The research will collect data required to develop and implement a comprehensive risk and media communication program in emergency preparedness for public health, healthcare and mental health professionals, and first responders.

Funding Source:
Temple University OVPR, January 2005-June 2006

Announcements:

Media Training Program for Disaster Personnel

On Friday, March 3 rd, Temple University’s Department of Public Health and the Center for Preparedness, Research, Education and Practice (C-PREP) will hold a day-long media preparedness and camera-readiness training program at the new Technology Center on Temple’s Main Campus. The program is part of an ongoing research initiative by Temple faculty to improve risk and emergency communication in the Philadelphia area. After conducting focus groups to evaluate first responders’ attitudes and comfort levels with speaking to the media and public about emergency events, it was determined that a media readiness training would help to build skills and improve risk communication for first responders. The research from these groups has been essential to the development of this training program. The day-long program will provide hands-on experience with real reporters from the area giving mock interviews and critiques for the twenty participants from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) and the Major Incident Response Team (MIRT) of the Philadelphia Police. Dr. Sarah Bass and Dr. Brenda Seals of the Public Health Department, along with Dominique Ruggieri and Dr. Betsy Leebron of the School of Communications & Theater, are conducting the research and running the training program. Any inquiries about the research, media preparedness training program, or C-PREP can be sent to Dr. Sarah Bass sbass@temple.edu.