Highlighting Racial Disparities Increases Coverage and Effectiveness of Health News, MU Researchers Find

Nov. 18, 2009

Effective communication of health news is needed to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes in populations who experience health disparities, or inequalities in health status, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As media researchers search for better methods to reach audiences, a new University of Missouri study published in Public Relations Review has found that highlighting racial disparities in news releases increases coverage of health stories in black newspapers, which can improve health outcomes in populations at-risk for disparities.  Full Story

Pushing the Brain to Find New Pathways

MU occupational therapy professor says recovery from brain injuries can last a lifetime.

Nov. 16, 2009

Until recently, scientists believed that, following a stroke, a patient had about six months to regain any lost function. After that, patients would be forced to compensate for the lost function by focusing on their remaining abilities. Although this belief has been refuted, a University of Missouri occupational therapy professor believes that the current health system is still not giving patients enough time to recover and underestimating what the human brain can do given the right conditions.  Full Story

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