What is the Health Communication Scholars Program?
Launched in 2013, the Health Communication Scholars Program (HCSP) seeks to support graduate student research in health communication. HCSP was created by Dr. Mike Mackert within the Moody College of Communication and initially funded by the Provost’s Teaching Fellows program. HCSP specifically aims to provide grant-writing experiences to graduate students interested in exploring topics related to health communication.
The program hosts a grant-writing workshop every fall in which faculty from across campus who have secured external funding provide their insights on writing effective grant submissions, details on the review process, and how to navigate early-career grant seeking. Each year, the program also offers an opportunity for graduate students to submit proposals to receive funding (up to $2,500) for their research. Interdisciplinary teams of graduate students are invited to submit proposals that parallel NIH or NSF submissions. All teams, regardless of funding, receive feedback on their proposals from a faculty review panel.
HCSP welcomes proposals from graduate students from all departments or schools at UT Austin as well as proposals focusing on any dimension of health communication (e.g., biological/physiological studies, interpersonal factors, patient-provider interactions, organizational contexts, health campaigns, etc.).
2023-2024 HCSP Details
HCSP Awards
The HCSP will be awarding selected proposals up to $2,500 for the 2023-2024 academic year. Dates and application materials have been updated throughout the website for this funding cycle.
TIMELINE FOR 2023-2024 HCSP CYCLE
October 27, 2023: Grant writing workshop
Friday, December 15, 2023: Student teams interested in participating submit a 1-page letter of intent.
Friday, February 9, 2024: Deadline for submission of proposals.
February 2024: A panel of faculty reviewers scores proposals and awardees are announced.
March 2024: Funded proposals begin their 1-year project.
2023-2024 Grant Writing Workshop
The 2023-2024 HCSP grant writing workshop will be on Friday, October 27, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CT on Zoom. Register here by October 23, 2023.
If you missed last year's workshop or would like to watch the faculty presentations again, you can view the recording here. (Please feel free to skip the break session from 10:40-11:20 in the video).
| 10:00-10:10 | Welcome, Introductions, and Program Overview | René Dailey, Ph.D. (she/her) Department of Communication Studies HCSP Coordinator |
| 10:10-10:30 | Insights on Health Communication Research and Funding from the Founding HCSP Coordinator | Mike Mackert, Ph.D. (he/him) Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations Director, Center for Health Communication |
| 10:30-11:15 | Grant Writing Tips Session #1 | Deena Kemp, Ph.D. (she/her) Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations |
| 11:15-11:45 | Breakout Networking Session | |
| 11:45-12:30 | Grant Writing Tips Session #2 | David Ring, Ph.D. (he/him) Associate Dean for Comprehensive Care Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care Dell Medical School |
| 12:30-1:00 | Tips on submitting your own HCSP proposal | René Dailey, Ph.D. (she/her) Department of Communication Studies HCSP Coordinator |
2021-2022 Funded Proposals
The HCSP funded two proposals for the 2021-2022 academic year. Congratulations to these students on funding their exciting projects!
Evaluating a Peer Support Mental Health Program: Humor-based Messaging and Stigma Among University Students
PI: Mansi Shah (Advertising)
Co-PI: Sophia Dove (Advertising)
Co-PI: Hannah Lunkenheimer (Psychology)
Faculty mentor: Lee Ann Kahlor (Advertising & Public Relations)
When comments are disabled: examining how restricted interactivity impacts online health campaigns
PI: Buduo Wang (Advertising)
Co-PI: Siyan Li (Advertising)
Co-PI: Zhao Chen
Co-PI: Yuhao Zang
Faculty mentors: Jeeyun Oh (Advertising & Public Relations)