Breaking Barriers in Science Communication with PhD Student Rose Hayes

Dr. Kimberly Eck sits down with Rose Hayes, a PhD student at the Laney Graduate School, to discuss her work on increasing public trust in science by designing and testing environmental health messages that are fun, memorable, and easy to understand. In this episode, Rose highlights research from the Pew Research Center showing that nearly 50% of Americans feel scientists do not communicate well—often because scientists and clinicians speak primarily to one another rather than crafting lifesaving messages with and for the public. Rose is committed to changing that culture and building expectations that scientific and clinical knowledge should be accessible to all.

Her team studies the factors that cause people to feel confused or frustrated by scientific messaging. She collaborates with colleagues from the Emory School of Nursing, the Rollins School of Public Health, and the University of Georgia as part of the Children’s Environmental Health Research and Translation Network (CEHRT), an NIH-funded consortium dedicated to translating science for public use. Recent work includes developing and testing the Public Knowledge Exchange Model, which brings together scientists, community organizations, and major media partners to co-create accessible, human-centered science communication.

Looking ahead, Rose and her collaborators plan to work with individuals who do not regularly engage with scientific information—including those who may feel resistant to it—and to develop new methods for measuring the reach and impact of public-facing communications.

In addition to being a PhD student at the Laney Graduate School, Rose is a nurse, writer, and Director of Engagement at the Emory School of Nursing. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts from NYU Gallatin. Explore the resources below to stay connected to her work.

Listen to the full episode here: https://impact-in-progress.pinecast.co/episode/5197b51e/building-trust-in-science-with-rose-hayes