Health Communication Scholars Program: Health Communication Scholars Program

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.

Download the HCSP application.

2023-2024 Grant Writing Workshop

The 2023-2024 HCSP grant writing workshop was on Friday, October 27, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CT.

If you missed this year's workshop or would like to watch the faculty presentations again, you can view the recording here.

10:00-10:10Welcome, Introductions, and Program OverviewRené Dailey, Ph.D. (she/her)   
Department of Communication Studies   
HCSP Coordinator
 
10:10-10:30Insights on Health Communication Research and Funding from the Founding HCSP CoordinatorMike Mackert, Ph.D. (he/him)   
Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations   
Director, Center for Health Communication
 
10:30-11:15Grant Writing Tips Session #1Deena Kemp, Ph.D. (she/her)   
Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations
 
11:15-11:45       Breakout Networking Session 
11:45-12:30Grant Writing Tips Session #2David Ring, Ph.D. (he/him)   
Associate Dean for Comprehensive Care   
Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care   
Dell Medical School
 
12:30-1:00Tips on submitting your own HCSP proposalRené 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)