Health Communication

The health communication division started as an ad-hoc group within the German Communication Association (DGPuK) in November 2012, and became an official DGPuK division in March 2016. It is concerned with theories, empirical research, and applications related to the roles of communication processes and information for health promotion, health education, and health practice. The division welcomes interdisciplinary research from a wide array of theoretical, epistemological and methodological approaches. Areas of research include health campaigns, news coverage about health topics and health systems, provider-patient interaction, eHealth and mHealth, health information seeking, and health policy. Having more than 100 members, it provides a platform for exchanging and discussing ideas, and for promoting the professionalization of health communication activities in science, practice, and teaching. Although being primarily a scientific grouping, insights from practitioners are welcomed and actively sought.