Sharing Science to Make Real-World Impact: Available Resources and Ways to Get Involved in Sci Comm at SBM

Leah Schumacher, PhD¹, Alicia Dahl, PhD, MS², Yue Liao, MPH, PhD³, Kelseanna Hollis-Hansen, MPH, PhD⁴, Julia Lechuga, PhD, MA⁵,Jaclyn P. Maher, PhD⁶, Marleah Dean Kruzel⁷, Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, PhD⁸ – Public Education Committee

A lot of science never reaches the public. When it does, it may not be shared in an easy-to-understand, accurate, and actionable way. The notorious 17-year time lag for scientific evidence to impact practice can be partly attributed to breakdowns in science communication (“Sci Comm”).

Although many researchers want to share their research results with the public, they may be unsure how to effectively communicate the information. To this end, SBM is committed to providing its members with tools to effectively engage in science communication with the general public. Below, we briefly highlight Sci Comm resources within SBM, how they can benefit you, and how you can get involved.

Public Education Committee (PEC)

SBM’s PEC is dedicated to increasing members’ ability to share their science with the public and improving the public’s access to behavioral science. To date, the PEC does this by helping to oversee Healthy Living articles, expanding the Sci Comm Toolkit, and making other Sci Comm resources available to SBM members, such as preconference workshops at the annual conference. The PEC currently has 12 members and meets monthly to discuss these topics and develop resources.

PEC members bring a diverse array of Sci Comm skills to the table and are united by their recognition of the importance of behavioral science public education. “Sci Comm can alleviate some of the public's worries or points of confusion. From choosing the best strategies for feeding children to responding to an outbreak, having clear, engaging, and digestible information from a trusted source can make a difference,” said Kelseanna Hollis-Hansen, a new PEC member.

Healthy Living Articles

One focus of the PEC is securing content for the Healthy Living section of the SBM website. Our organization is filled with brilliant minds and content experts moving science forward. Healthy Living is our space to distill information to the public on an open-access platform. Imagine a friend, relative, or neighbor is curious about a health topic and they do a quick internet search. Writing a Healthy Living article is your chance to publicize an accurate answer to these hot topics and common questions!

These short, public-facing articles share information on evidence-based behavior change science – and get over 14,000 page views per month! Articles undergo professional search engine optimization and are promoted through a variety of online platforms, including SBM’s social media channels and Google ads. Articles focus on the overall state of the science on a topic but do not need to – and typically don’t – directly report on a single study or even a researcher’s own work. By providing a quick digest on what we know about a topic, SBM’s Healthy Living articles help people feel confident in their understanding.

Healthy Living articles are an excellent way to translate your expertise into public impact, with guidance and support from SBM staff throughout the process. Maria Misuira, the author of a widely read Healthy Living article on micro workouts, shared the following: “Authoring a healthy living article gave me a great opportunity to practice my science communication skills. I feel more confident as a writer, having worked through this process with an editorial team to help craft a narrative.”

Sci Comm Toolkit

Another focus of PEC’s work is the Sci Comm Toolkit. Whether you are a Sci Comm aficionado or brand new to the concept, SBM’s Sci Comm Toolkit can help you more effectively share your science. The toolkit is freely available online to all SBM members and contains videos, articles, podcasts, and other resources on a variety of Sci Comm topics. Current topics include op-eds, community engagement, infographics, and connecting with the media, among others. Stay tuned for additional content coming this fall!

The Sci Comm Toolkit is great not only for researchers but also as a teaching tool. For example, Alicia Dahl, Chair of the PEC and Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health, uses the toolkit as a classroom resource for a graduate-level course on Communicating and Disseminating Research. “I appreciate how the toolkit offers example products, top 10 lists, articles, podcast interviews, and highlights the perspectives of folks across industry, clinical, and academic spaces since there’s not one way to do sci comm or one profession where this matters more than another. I try to encourage students to embrace sci comm in their personal and professional spaces.”

Summary and Ways to Get Involved

Sci Comm can help you communicate your work to the public and make a real difference in policy, practice, and public discourse.

Here’s how to find out more and get involved:

• Want to write a Healthy Living article? E-mail Emily Takerian, SBM Communication Manager, at etakerian@sbm.org    
• Interested in joining or want to find out more about the PEC? E-mail Alicia Dahl, Chair, at adahl3@charlotte.edu