Health Communication Working Group - Call for Proposals 2023

The Health Communication (HEC) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites proposals for IAMCR 2023, to be held in Lyon, France, from 9 to 13 July (Lyon23) with an Online Conference Papers (OCP23) component from 26 June to 5 July.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 9 February 2023 at 23h59 UTC.

See the CfPs of all sections and working groups >

Conference themes

IAMCR conferences have a main conference theme that is explored from multiple perspectives throughout the conference in plenaries and other moments, including the programmes of the thematic sections and working groups. Additionally, each section and working group also defines some of its own themes, which are described in their individual calls for proposals. Proposals for contributions to the conference are submitted to the sections and working groups and may focus on an aspect of the main conference theme as it relates to the concerns of the section or working group, or address a theme identified by the section or working group.

Main theme – Inhabiting the planet: Challenges for media, communication and beyond

The main theme for IAMCR 2023, “Inhabiting the planet: Challenges for media, communication and beyond”, is concerned with possibilities for rethinking communication research agendas at a time when the irreversible effects of climate change is compounded by stark geopolitical, sociocultural and religious tensions in human communities. At this juncture, urgent reflection and research is needed on how we can hope to flourish today and in the future, and also how media and communication tools and environments can be positive forces and spaces for change.

Five sub-themes of this central theme have been identified: Humanity and progress; democracy; media, information and communication; cities and territories; and environmental accountability.

Consult a detailed description of the main theme and its sub-themes

From the perspective of health communication, there is a felt need to see beyond the oft discussed global health discourses which view human population health on a global scale with a particular focus on ‘improving’ health internationally. Now is the time to discuss planetary health and discuss the health of humanity globally and the health of the natural planetary systems, co-inhabitants on which the inhabitation of humanity pivots. The rise of geopolitical, sociocultural and religious tensions across the world are adding up to the concerns of health crises triggered by climate change. This calls for a holistic health communication approach to ensure safe and sustainable environmental limits within which humanity can flourish. There is immense scope to explore and expand the boundaries of health communication beyond the individual, interpersonal, community levels forging interdisciplinary collaborations in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment in general. While the concept of One Health is prompting realignment of priorities it is also drawing our attention and calling for action on the possible irreversible effects of climate change. Digitalization and new technologies can help build collective capacity to build a path to the future but it opens up the following questions. How is digital health influencing our understanding and the construction of (ill) health? How digitalization of health communication alters health care communication and health promotion? How does digitised interaction alter relationships between health care professionals and patients /clients? How digitalization and new platforms alter the activism and empowerment of patients / clients? How does digital health alter health citizenship? How mis/disinformation on health alters health journalism and the whole media landscape?

Given this background, the Health Communication (HEC) Working Group seeks proposals for health communication research and practice connected, but not limited to the main theme and sub-themes of the conference. The working group is interested in facilitating interactions between practitioners, researchers and academics to increase the understanding of this changing communicative landscape of health communication theory and practice for knowledge sharing/exchange. Abstracts can be submitted that reflect on the following topics, but not limited to:

Realigning health communication in relation to One Health priorities
Interlinkages between climate communication and health
Health Communication and sustainability science
Transcending inter, intrapersonal and community boundaries to promote health
Democratisation of health communication
Health communication in the context of conflict
Risk communication
Theoretical perspective of digitalization of health communication
Digitalization of health promotion and health campaigns
Digitalization of health journalism and media
Digital (ill)health
Digital health citizenship and patienthood.

Contributing to the conference: Lyon23 and OCP23

There will be two ways of joining IAMCR2023:

If you are not able to or don’t want to join the face-to-face conference in Lyon but do want to submit an online-only paper, submit your abstract to OCP23 only. If accepted, you’ll later submit your full paper to the online platform, which will be open for discussion from 26 June to 5 July.
If you do want to join the face-to-face event, submit your abstract to Lyon23 and OCP23. If accepted you’ll submit your paper to the online platform and present it at the face-to-face conference.

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts submitted to the Health Communication (HEC) Working Group should have between 300 and 500 words and must be submitted online here. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.

The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 February 2022 at 23h59 UTC.

It is expected that authors will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should an author submit more than two abstracts as a single author or as the lead author of a co-authored paper and no author will submit more than one abstract to the Health Communication (HEC) Working Group. The same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to more than one section or working group. Any such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected.

Proposals for panels can only be submitted to Lyon23 and OCP23. Panel submissions must include an abstract for each paper submitted here and a description & supplemental information submitted via this form on the conference website

See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind