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09/29/2017

ECA 2018 - Call for Papers: Health Communication Interest Group

ECA 2018 Call for Papers

Health Communication Interest Group

109th Annual ECA Convention

Building Bridges

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Omni William Penn

April 25-29, 2018

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 15, 2017

The Health Communication Interest Group invites submissions for the 109th Annual ECA Convention. We invite competitive papers, thematic panels, roundtables, workshops, performances, debates, community programs, and other innovative programs. The Health Communication Interest Group of ECA studies the processes, practices, and policies related to human and mediated communication in health care and health promotion. Research presented within this division evolves from a wide range of theories and methodological approaches that often address the ways individuals seek, interpret, and respond to health information. The interest group promotes scholarship that examines communication in health education and promotion, health care consumer-provider relationships, caregiving, healthcare organizations, health policy, health campaigns and interventions, communication and aging, lifespan development, risk communication, and e-health applications. The interest group welcomes submissions from scholars at all stages in their academic career, especially those interested in exploring and applying new theoretical perspectives to health communication.

Pittsburgh, also known as the city of bridges, will be home to the 2018 Eastern Communication Association Convention. Pittsburgh has a unique topography, being situated at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela, which forms the Ohio River. When a city is located on water, bridges span the horizon.

The bridges of Pittsburgh play an important role in the city’s infrastructure. Without the 446 bridges interlacing the city, Pittsburgh would be a region of isolated communities. Just as the bridges in the city connect communities, communication has the opportunity to build bridges within and outside of our discipline, creating countless opportunities for research, teaching, and service.

The 2018 theme, Building Bridges, invites the exploration of cross-disciplinary research and encourages finding possibilities for connecting our research to theory and practice, creating new approaches to teaching, and collaborating with communities for service and civic engagement opportunities. How can we build bridges within our discipline? How do we communicate and engage others when the bridges are broken? What are ways in which communication creates opportunities for new connections and for building bridges? What can we gain by fostering communication among our many communities in order to further promote connection?

All submissions, which should fall into one of the two categories listed below, must be received by 11:59pm PDT on October 15, 2017 in order to be considered.

Completed Papers

Individual submissions of complete competitive papers should include two separate attachments:

  1. Title page, which includes the title of the paper; the names of all authors; and each author’s address, phone number, email address, and affiliation. Please use an asterisk to note which author will be the presenter.
    • Please label all debut papers with the phrase “DEBUT PAPER” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. To qualify as a debut paper, the author or co-authors must not have presented a paper at a state, regional, national, or international convention. All authors of a co-authored paper must meet these eligibility requirements for a paper to be considered a debut paper.
    • Where appropriate, label “STUDENT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. All authors must be students to be considered a student paper.
    • Audio-visual requests should be listed on the separate title page. Please note that equipment availability is limited.
    • The statement of professional responsibility (see below) MUST be included with every submission in order for it to be eligible for review.
  2. A manuscript that includes: (a) a 250-500 word abstract of the paper (with title appearing on this page) and (b) a maximum of 25-pages of text, excluding references and tables. Do not include any information in the paper that identifies the author(s) (beyond that which appears on the title page). Please remove any identifiers, such as the author’s name, from the paper AND electronic file (i.e., in the header or on the file label). Please follow APA format guidelines.

Panel/Roundtable Proposals

Panel, roundtable, and innovative presentation proposals should focus on some unifying theme or concept relevant to research, theory, or instruction in the area of health communication. Programs may consist of a chair, individual presenters, and a respondent; however, roundtable discussions, performance venues, or other unique formats are encouraged. We request that any person serving as chair and/or respondent not be a participant in the panel or roundtable. We encourage including graduate students as chairs.

Innovative program proposals, especially those that provide opportunities for engaged interaction among participants and attendees, are encouraged. Programs co-sponsors with other interest groups are also welcome. Programs that relate to the convention theme, “Building Bridges,” are encouraged. The panel organizer is expected to take responsibility for communication with the Interest Group Chair, alert her to any changes or programs, and ensure that panelists register for the conference and deliver their papers.

Panel proposals should include the following:

  1. Thematic title of the panel/roundtable.
  2. One-page rationale for the panel/roundtable and explanation of how the papers are thematically linked.
  3. Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as respondents.
  4. Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants.
  5. Title and brief (1-2 paragraph) description of each presentation.
  6. A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program.
  7. Equipment needed for the program. Please note that equipment availability is limited.
  8. The statement of professional responsibility (see below) MUST be included with every submission in order for it to be eligible for review.

Statement of Professional Responsibility

The following statement MUST be included with every submission in order for it to be eligible for review:

In submitting the attached paper or proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel or paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees.

NOTE: Acceptance of a paper or panel proposal obligates authors to attend the conference and present the paper. For program/panel presentation, the organizer is expected to take responsibility for communication with the Interest Group Chair, alert her to any changes or problems, and ensure that panelists register for the conference and deliver their papers/presentations.

Please send completed submissions as a file attachment (.docx, .doc, or .pdf formats are acceptable) to the Health Communication Interest Group Chair, Dr. Hannah Ball, at ECAhealthcom2018@gmail.com. Remember, the deadline for submissions is 11:59pm PDT on October 15, 2017.

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