Bernard Appiah, assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University in New York, has received the K. Everett M. Rogers Award from the American Public Health Association. The honor recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to either theory or practice in public health communication.
Dr. Appiah began his career as a pharmacist in Ghana before relocating to the United States. He joined the Syracuse faculty in 2020 and currently serves as a senior research associate for the Maxwell African Scholars Union, research affiliate for the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health, and director of the research program on Health Communication and Public Engagement (H-COPE).
As a scholar, Dr. Appiah studies how communication strategies can influence public health decision-making, particularly in underserved communities. He developed the 10+10+30 approach to use radio and entertainment-education or drama to tackle global health challenges. In this method, radio stations play a 10-minute serial drama, followed by a 10-minute health-worker-led panel discussion, culminating in a 30-minute phone-in by listeners. Alongside a team of other researchers, Dr. Appiah leveraged this approach in a series of radio dramas at a station in Ethiopia to promote childhood vaccinations. The project found that parents who listened to the broadcasts were more likely to have their children vaccinated.
Dr. Appiah earned his doctorate from the School of Public Health at Texas A&M University.
