Author Archives: Suzanne L. West, Craig Lefebvre, Lauren A. McCormack, Olivia Burrus, and Paula Rausch

About Suzanne L. West, Craig Lefebvre, Lauren A. McCormack, Olivia Burrus, and Paula Rausch

Lauren McCormack, PhD, MSPH is Vice President of the Public Health Research Division of RTI International and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health. Dr McCormack's research bridges the fields of public health and communication science. Her work focuses on promoting informed decision making, public engagement, and behavior change. An overarching goal of her research is to improve the public’s understanding and use of scientific evidence in decision making. She is an internationally recognized expert in health literacy and serves as Chair of PCORI’s Advisory Panel on Communication & Dissemination.

How do physicians learn about new medication safety information?

Physicians and other providers are the gatekeepers for prescription medicines; they decide who, under what circumstances, and for how long someone takes one – or several – medicines. But how do physicians stay abreast of the latest research about the safety and efficacy of the medicines they prescribe? We set out to understand how they… Read More »

Measuring patient-centered communication in colorectal cancer care

Every year, 340,000 Americans are diagnosed with cancer, and fully 4 in 10 of these diagnoses will be colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States; however, 60% of CRC deaths could be prevented if everyone 50 years old and older were screened. By instituting patient-centered communication, we… Read More »