On October 4, 2013, researchers and practitioners from local academic and research institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and community agencies convened at the Inaugural Symposium on Using New Technologies to Enhance Healthy Behaviors on UNC campus. The free symposium featured speakers from the National Institutes of Health, UNC Chapel Hill, FHI 360, and RTI International presenting current research on utilizing technology to promote healthy behavior across diverse behavioral areas, with particular focus on HIV, cancer, and obesity. The keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. William (Bill) Riley, PhD, chief of the Science of Research and Technology Branch in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Plenary talks on “Past and Current Issues in Technology and Health Behavior” were given by Drs. Deborah Tate and Seth Noar of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and School of Journalism and Mass Communication, respectively. Two scientific sessions and a lunchtime poster session focused on issues of using mobile phones, social media, and diverse devices to promote health.
The sponsors of the symposium (UNC Center for AIDS Research, Communications for Health Applications and Interventions—CHAI Core, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Lineberger Cancer and Control Program) plan to host similar events in the coming years to address emerging topics in using technologies for health promotion. An ultimate goal of this and future events is to bring together researchers from different disciplines, fields of research, and institutions to develop a network of professionals with interests in technology and health to promote collaborations and present research findings. Please view the symposium agenda and presentations by clicking the links below. If you would like to be subscribed to a new listserv devoted to circulating information on using new technologies for health promotion, or for any other information about this event, please email Catherine Grodensky.
To view the videos, please visit our YouTube page or the Social and Behavioral core’s page!
