Key Objectives:
1) Identify evidence-based data communication strategies applied to state-level data communication projects 2) Share communication products resulting from a partnership between epidemiologists and national communication experts 3) Discuss challenges to state and local level epidemiologists’ effective communication of data 4) Acquire ideas for data communication products from examples of final products from the Data Translation Project or roundtable participant sharing
Brief Summary:
Communication of data is an essential skill for state and local level epidemiologists. Yet, effective data communication is not part of traditional epidemiology training. In December 2016, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), with support from a cooperative agreement with the CDC Division of Reproductive Health, sponsored an 8-month project that paired epidemiologists with national communication experts to create a communication product from MCH data. In addition to the development of final products, participants attended three virtual learning events to improve data communication skills, completed learning assignments to apply these skills, and shared their work each other through virtual peer-sharing. In this session, we will discuss best practices acquired from our data communication experts including: (1) Developing a communication strategy, (2) Acknowledging public health frames when communicating health disparity data, (3) Evidence-based data visualization in Microsoft Excel, (4) Choosing the right chart for your data, and (4) Storytelling with data. State teams experienced challenges, including maintaining the accuracy of the data while increasing visual appeal, time constraints, choosing the right data to communicate from an over-abundance of MCH data, and managing product approval processes within their states. We will discuss these challenges, hear from the roundtable attendees on their current data communication challenges, and discuss prospective challenges to using the strategies introduced to teams in the Data Translation Project. Final products from the project were redesigned fact sheets, data dashboards, presentations, infographics, and conversations guides. We will share a sampling of products and discuss how the audience could use similar products with their own data. In uncertain economic and political climates, communicating the importance of public health issues, interventions, and programs is increasingly important. This roundtable will generate informative dialog on how to improve communication and understanding of the scientific side of public health.