Humanities-based Health Campaign

Developing an Inclusive Public Health Media Campaign for Regional Tasmania

Degree type

PhD

Closing date

27 March 2023

Campus

Hobart

Citizenship requirement

Domestic/International

About the research project

The past decade has seen a growing awareness of the value of humanities-based approaches in the study of public health. This is manifest in the inclusion of social, cultural and environment factors in understanding health and wellbeing, and a growing emphasis on addressing the social determinants of health and wellbeing to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.  Elsewhere, media studies, notably in relation to analysis of narrative and audience studies, has been engaged in the development of health literacy programs.
According to the Primary Health Network’s Needs Assessment Report (2019-2022), Tasmania continues to fall below the rest of Australia in a number of key public health indictors. This recognised need, combined with the state’s stable and predominantly regionally-based population, make the island an ideal location and subject for analysis of rural and public health.
This project is designed to be practice-led. The artefact component will be media texts and/or a campaign. This may be situated in digital, social, or legacy media, or a combination of these.
The media text/campaign will be co-produced in close consultation with a specific community and address an identifiable need to a specific demographic group.
The design of the text/campaign will employ innovative techniques for working alongside communities, employing co-design and health-enabling methodologies.
Accompanying the production of the text/s will be an explanatory and analytical exegesis. This will be grounded in public health, community development and media studies theories and seeks to examine and address the recognized socio-economic disparities in engagement in with public health media campaigns.

Primary Supervisor

Meet Dr Donald Reid

Funding

Applicants will be considered for a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship or Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) which, if successful, provides:

  • a living allowance stipend of $31,500 per annum (2023 rate, indexed annually) for 3.5 years
  • a relocation allowance of up to $2,000
  • a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)

If successful, international applicants will receive a University of Tasmania Fees Offset for up to four years.

As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.

Eligibility

Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.

Selection Criteria

The project is competitively assessed and awarded.  Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.

Additional essential selection criteria specific to this project:

  • The candidate will have research experience in social media analysis and practice. This may include analysis of social media discourses and practices; examination of online community building and the engagement of media technologies as a pedagogical tool.
  • The candidate will have experience working directly with communities and be experienced in a variety of quantitative methods (focus groups, online and face-to-face surveys, interviews).

Additional desirable selection criteria specific to this project:

  • Ideally, the candidate will have experience in public health or health literacy communication.

Application process

There is a three-step application process:

  1. Select your project, and check you meet the eligibility and selection criteria;
  2. Contact the Primary Supervisor, Dr Donald Reid to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
  3. Submit an application by the closing date listed above.
    • Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
    • As part of your application, you will be required to submit a covering letter, a CV including 2 x referees and your project research proposal.

Following the application closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.

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