Panel discussion: COVID-19: How theory can meet practice and reality

The main purpose of this panel discussion kicking off on the second day of the IAMCR 2022 Suzhou Pre-conference on SC (8:30-9:30 pm, July 8 Beijing time) is to address research opportunities and practical challenges arising from  the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically impacted science communication practically and theoretically. Panelists here include:

Dominique Brossard (Professor, University of Wisconsin Madison)

Margaret Kaseje (VP, Association of Schools of Public Health in Africa)

Li Liu (Professor, University of S&T of China)

Jennifer Metcalfe (President, PCST)

The panel will be moderated by Hepeng Jia, a professor of science communication at Soochow University. It will discuss some key questions below: Whether the current SC scholarship has been effective and broad enough to guide us to design, deliver and evaluate communication campaigns to address the public health crisis. Science/Health/Riskcommunication studies have well identified and stressed the important roles of trust, experts’ credibility, personal relevance, and media use, but many practitioners may intuitively utilize them without thinking their academic origins. Then, what exactly SC scholars’ contribution to the practices are? Most science and health theories are based on individual actions/persuasions. How can theories guide practice in non-Western settings where individualism often gives in to collectivistic values?