Recorded December 10, 2015
Social Networks – Background and Applications for Public Health Practice – Have you ever wondered whether having a better understanding about the relationships between individuals or organizations could help you as a public health professional? Social networks, and the analysis and understanding of them, are increasingly being used in public health to improve the strategies that we deliver. Social media is a tool to both deliver information to our target audience, and to collect and analyze information about them in order to better understand them and how they make decisions about their health.
Our speaker, Ricky Leung, holds a doctorate in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also received training in health management and medical infomatics from the University of Minnesota and Harvard University. He has taught at Brown University and the University of Missouri. His research includes how academic researchers developed nanotechnology-enabled medical products, and how hospitals utilized social media to increase communication with patients. His latest research looks at the use of new information technology among the underserved population in the U.S. health sector, particularly immigrants and minorities. His papers include "Using social media to address Asian immigrants’ mental health needs: A systematic literature review," (PDF) published in April by the Journal of Nature and Science. In addition to social media, Leung has published on health information technology, health management and global health.