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The following articles are samples of publications written by members of our staff. For a list of additional publications, please click
here
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RISK COMMUNICATION,
THE WEST NILE VIRUS EPIDEMIC, AND BIOTERRORISM
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RESPONDING TO THE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES
POSED BY THE INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL RELEASE
OF A PATHOGEN IN AN URBAN SETTING
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Vincent T. Covello, PhD,
Richard G. Peters, DrPH, MBA, MSc,
Joseph G. Wojtecki, MA,
Richard C. Hyde, MSc
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The intentional or unintentional introduction of a pathogen in an urban setting presents severe communication challenges. Risk communication - a science-based approach for communicating effectively in high concern situations - provides a set of principles and tools for meeting those challenges. A brief overview of the risk communication theoretical perspective and basic risk communication models are presented here, and the risk communication perspective is applied to the West Nile Virus epidemic in New York City in 1999 and 2000 and to a possible bioterrorist event. The purpose is to provide practical information on how perceptions of the risks associated with a disease outbreak might be perceived and best managed.
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Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine,
Volume 78, No. 2, pg. 382-391, June 2001
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THE DETERMINANTS OF TRUST AND CREDIBILITY
IN ENVIRONMENTAL RISK COMMUNICATION
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AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
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Richard G. Peters, DrPH, Vincent T. Covello, PhD, David B. McCallum, PhD
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This study examines a key component of environmental risk communication: trust and credibility. The study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, six hypotheses regarding the perceptions and determinants of trust and credibility were tested against survey data. The hypotheses were supported by the data. The most important hypothesis was that perceptions of trust and credibility are dependent on three factors: perceptions of knowledge and expertise; perceptions of openness and honesty; and perceptions of concern and care. In the second part, models were constructed with perceptions of trust and credibility as the dependent variable. The goal was to examine the data for findings with direct policy implications. One such finding was that defying a negative stereotype is key to improving perceptions of trust and credibility.
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Risk Analysis. 1997; 17(1):43-54.
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COMMUNICATING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MEETS THE CARBON-BASED EMPLOYEE UNIT
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Joseph G. Wojtecki, Jr., and Richard G. Peters
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Change is a constant reality in today's workplace, causing substantial psychological stress within a workforce concerned about its livelihood and quality of life. Against this backdrop enters the Information Technology (IT) explosion, bringing its unprecedented capacity for disseminating information. Many managers are embracing e-mail, intranets, and other technological innovations as efficient solutions to the high communication demands during times of change. However, simply making information available is not the same as communication. People under stress can lose as much as 80 percent of their ability to process information. Situations in which concerns are high and trust is low, call for as much attention to the methods of communicating as to the messages. This article offers insights into why human resources need more low-tech communication during times of change. The research on risk communication provides non-traditional and sometimes counter-intuitive principles for avoiding some familiar pitfalls to effective internal communications.
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The 2000 Annual. Consulting. San Francisco, CA. Jossery-Bass/Pfeiffer.
2000; Volume 2; 175-190.
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