Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch (HCIRB)

Mission

The Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch (HCIRB) advances research on the processes and effects of communication and informatics across the cancer control continuum. HCIRB is within the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Behavioral Research Program (BRP), in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS).

Scientific Priorities

HCIRB supports research on patient-centered communication, the impact of technology on health communication, equity in communication, and the acceleration and translation of health communication research into public health and clinical practice. The branch also engages in surveillance research regarding the public’s use of cancer-related information in a changing health communication environment.

HCIRB’s research priorities include:

• Our communication science work aims to:
  • Improve the interface between science, media, and clinical care
  • Raise public awareness and knowledge about cancer prevention and control priorities by improving access to and understanding of cancer information
  • Investigate the impact of the changing media environment on knowledge and attitudes toward cancer prevention and control
  • Evaluate communication processes in public health practice, community settings, and health care systems to advance and improve cancer care delivery and prevention
  • Examine the utility and efficacy of innovative methods for studying communication patterns and processes
• Our multilevel health communication work aims to:
  • Develop and evaluate communication interventions that operate at multiple levels of influence for behaviors relevant to cancer control and prevention
  • Use informatics technologies to bridge gaps in health communication between the individual, clinical, and community levels
• Our technology-mediated communication work aims to:
  • Support the adoption of innovative, evidence-based interventions that leverage emerging technologies and online platforms such as health system portals, smartphone and mobile apps, wireless sensors and devices, and social media
  • Test the use and implementation of technology to improve care coordination for patients and caregivers
  • Encourage the development and translation of evidence-based innovations in health information technology (HIT) especially as they relate to patient engagement, population health, safety, and continuity of care

Meet Our Staff