“My Family Knows” presented at NCHCMM

Dr. Ivan C.A. Walks, President and CEO, Ivan Walks & Associates (IWA) made an oral presentation entitled, "“MY FAMILY KNOWS:” A Health Marketing and Communications Campaign to Inform and Educate “at Risk” African American and Hispanic American Girls and Their Families about the Threat of HPV Infection" during the National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media (NCHCMM) to be held in Atlanta, GA August 11-13, 2009.

“My Family Knows” was conceived as a grassroots collaborative that operated from the premise that a particular health disparity or threat to vulnerable and “at risk” populations, human papillomavirus (HPV) in this case, could not be eliminated without first eliminating the underlying causes(s).  Before its rollout, however, the inherent health communication and marketing campaign had to be seen as viable and perceived as genuinely addressing an issue using a community specific approach. 

At NCHCMM, Dr. Walks discussed how to ensure that there are concrete campaign goals as well as a clear understanding of the targeted audience(s) and their cultural mores.  He also talked about how to develop messaging and content that are relevant to, and resonate within, “hard to reach” communities.  

NCHCMM was sponsored by the National Center for Health Marketing, the Office of Enterprise Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Cancer Institute and the National Public Health Information Coalition.  It brought together individuals representing academia, public health researchers and practitioners from federal and state government and the private sector, and was a forum for collegial dialogue within and across these disciplines.
For more information about the conference or background on Dr. Walks or the “My Family Knows” health communication and marketing campaign, email info@ivanwalks.com or call 301-357-8324, ext. 500.