Core C: Communication and Dissemination

Core C. Communication and Dissemination Core
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Communication and Dissemination Core (C) will handle all aspects of communication within CPHA
between members, and dissemination of information regarding center activities to CPHA members, the larger
Duke community, the scientific community, the public, and the NIA. Previously, these tasks were handled
exclusively by Core A and its director. However, formal reporting requirements have expanded both internally
(to the university) and externally, to the NIH. Further, recent history has shown that the general public has little
if any knowledge of precisely what academic researchers do, and this lack of understanding has, at least in
part, led to skepticism of “expert” research findings and conclusions involving promoting interventions that may
seem counterintuitive or overly burdensome to the lay person. Worse still, the lack of understanding has led to
a political climate in which a significant proportion of the voting age population seem to support the reduction or
elimination of funding for NIH and other agencies that sponsor important research. Thus, a key goal of this
core is to provide a coherent approach to disseminating research findings to the public and specifically
explaining how they are important for their lives and well-being. We will do this via extant channels, such as
our website, social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Bluesky, and LinkedIn, as well as through direct
public outreach via at least one annual CPHA “open house” in which we invite members of the local community
to view posters summarizing current research activities of members of the center, including pilot projects.
These posters will be produced with a focus on showing the direct relevance of our research to the well-being
of the public. In addition, we will produce and disseminate AI-generated research briefs and podcasts for
public consumption. This standalone core will involve a reorganization of some of our current efforts, including
a revision of our website (in progress), as well as efforts by the core director and PI to establish relationships
with the Duke Communications Office and other general communication channels that already exist at Duke
but have yet to be exploited by CPHA. These efforts will be undertaken during Phase 1 of this grant cycle.

Grant Number: 2P30AG034424-16
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: AVSHALOM CASPI