Using Social Media for Health Communications

Health Information Forum
Categorized Under: Health, IT Solutions, Program Management + IT Management, Strategic Communications + Marketing

Social media has changed the way we receive information and what actions we take. Social networking sites have made information sharing an instantaneous process, with thousands of bits of information processed every day. Public health is using the power of social media and social networking to provide information on how to improve health outcomes and impact on individual behavior.

ICF's first event in its newly launched speaker series includes invited panelists Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov and Andrew Wilson, Office of Communications at SAMHSA. They will discuss the increasing use of social media for health communications, including the use of mobile websites, apps, Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Panelists will share some of the strategies, advantages, and disadvantages of government using social media and social networking for advancing public health. The panel will be moderated by ICF's Ronne Ostby and will offer key tips on how agencies can embrace social media.

The event is free of charge to invited participants. Doors open at 8:00 a.m., and a continental breakfast will be provided.

Related Market + Service Offerings

Health Information Forum - A bi-monthly speaker series hosted by ICF in our Rockville office

Speakers

Ronne Ostby
PrincipalICF International

Ronne Ostby is an experienced social marketing professional, well-known and respected within the discipline. She has a passion for studying and applying social marketing and behavior change concepts and theories to society’s most critical health and well-being concerns. She has worked for nearly 15 years in the fields of social marketing and communications with proven expertise in behavioral theory innovation, strategy development, research and evaluation, creative planning and project leadership.At ICF she leads social marketing strategy design and formative audience-based research and manages integrated communications efforts.

Prior to joining ICF, Ms. Ostby led strategy development through in-depth consumer research for the White House National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Prior to joining the Executive Office of the President, Ronne was a senior director in AED’s Center for Social Marketing and Behavior Change. She led social marketing research, program development, and evaluation efforts, working with numerous U.S. federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), and several national nonprofit foundations. She has particular experience with issues affecting teens and tweens, including drug and tobacco use prevention and obesity prevention. She is an adjunct faculty member at American University, teaching Social Marketing and other graduate-level courses, and serves as Associate Editor for Social Marketing Quarterly.
Miguel Gomez
DirectorAIDS.gov
Miguel Gomez is the director of AIDS.gov, a program in the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). AIDS.gov plays three critical roles:
1. The program provides information on federal HIV/AIDS policies, programs, and resources to visitors to the AIDS.gov website
2. It provides basic HIV/AIDS information to those visitors
3. It offers extensiveresources and practical guidance to federal, state, local, and community partners on using new and social media to extend the reach and impact of HIV/AIDS programs
Gomez oversaw the development, design, and launch of AIDS.gov in 2006. Since that launch, he has introduced many new and innovative features on the site, including video podcasting; the AIDS.gov blog, which reports HIV/AIDS-related news and research and showcases the use of new media in response to the epidemic; and the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Service Provider Locator, a location-based search tool that allows users to seek out HIV testing services, housing providers, health centers, and other service providers.

Gomez has been working on HIV/AIDS issues since 1984 when he joined the Gay Rights National Lobby, which provided services and support to some of the first AIDS organizations in the nation. He has since held positions with national AIDS organizations and the federal government. He is the Office of the Secretary's senior representative to the HHS Web Council, and he serves on both the Federal DotGov Reform Task Force and the Federal Mobility Strategy Task Force.
Andrew Wilson
Web and New Media StrategistSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Andrew Wilson is a web and new media strategist at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He oversees public engagement activities, including all agency social media activity and targeted public forums on key agency priorities. Mr. Wilson also oversees Project Evolve, a SAMHSA web modernization project that relies heavily on user feedback and stakeholder participation as part of the web development and prioritization process.

Prior to coming to SAMHSA, Mr. Wilson provided operational management of the Flu.gov website and associated new media outreach as part of the U.S. federal response to the H1N1 outbreak. In addition to management and oversight responsibilities, he participated directly in the new media response, including the creation and maintenance of Flu.gov's Twitter and Facebook accounts.