Amy Shirong Lu, PhD
Assistant Professor,
School of Communication, and member,
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
of Northwestern University

Entertainment Narratives as Health Persuaders: Empirical Findings and Ethical Implications

One of the oldest forms of communication, the narrative is pervasive in contemporary media entertainment landscape. Recent studies have shown that narratives can serve as powerful tools for health promotion. Persuading people to adopt a healthy lifestyle requires creation of effective media messages through interdisciplinary collaboration. This talk will survey several empirical research projects exploring the entertainment media narrative in the context of blogs, animation, and video games. Their potential ethical implications will be discussed.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The Medical Humanities & Bioethics Lectures run weekly on Thursdays at noon, addressing diverse topics within bioethics and the medical humanities. Speakers are MH&B faculty or special guests we've invited to present. All lectures run from noon to 12:45pm in the Searle Seminar Room in the Lurie building. All are welcome. Please feel free to bring a lunch.