Health Communications 101 with Nutrition Communicator, Brett Otis

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Brett Otis, the Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They discuss Brett’s work at Harvard Chan on “The Nutrition Source” and the responsibilities of those presenting health information to the public. You’ll LearnBrett’s career path and how he came to work in public health communications What a day as the Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan looks likeWhat “The Nutrition Source” is and the process of producing this sourceTips from Brett on how to consume health information from mediaSome lessons that Brett has learned about communicating public health informationWhat the biggest challenges for individuals working in public health face when communicating health informationBrett’s observations about public health communication during COVID-19 and what he has seen working well vs. what could be improvedAdvice from Brett for individuals who might be interested in a similar careerToday’s GuestBrett O. Otis, ALM, is a Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where he lends strategic support to multiple initiatives, including the department’s primary public-facing website, The Nutrition Source, and annual Healthy Living Guide. He also serves as a key guest lecturer in the MPH course, Nutrition Communication in Practice. Additionally, he is a co-author of Eat Well and Keep Moving (3rd edition, 2016), a school-based nutrition and physical activity program developed for upper-elementary school children. Merging education and training in journalism, health communications, and sustainability, along with professional experience in public health nutrition communications, his work is all about making research accessible and useful to a range of audiences—from policymakers and educators, to the general public. ResourcesMore info about The Ladder of AbstractionRead the Wired article about science literacyFrameworks resourcesAccess The Nutrition Source and read the article about consuming science in mediaOther PH SPOT resources:Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this formNever heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.Contribute to the public health career blog: www.phspot.ca/contributeUpcoming course on infographics: phspot.Support the showJoin The Public Health Career Club: the #1 hangout spot and community dedicated to building and growing your dream public health career.

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Sujani Sivanantharajah from PHSPOT.org sits down with public health heroes of our time to share career stories, inspiration, and guidance for building public health careers. From time to time, she also has conversations with friends of public health - individuals who are not public health professionals, but their advice and guidance are equally important. The emotions, energy, and passion that comes from these stories act as a reminder that this space we’ve created for the public health community is a space that you can lean on as you navigate your career. We believe that to build a successful career in public health does not mean that it has to live up to a certain level of standard set out by somebody else...or that we need to burn ourselves out in the process. We believe that you can craft a career perfect for you, and your unique life. The message we hope to get across through these conversations is that building a career is not only about climbing up the ranks, but about crafting a life that you want, around your unique needs, and one that gives importance to your mental health, wellbeing, and building relationships and friendships: you can only do good in the world if you take care of yourself. Through PH SPOTlight, you will connect with peers you have never met before, and build relationships in a deep and meaningful way. What you will hear the most, from every single person is also passion. Passion to do good. Passion to advance human health and the human race. And a passion to share back with the public health community.