Social media can be a source of both reliable health information and harmful misinformation and lies. With the number of people using social media expected to exceed 6 billion by 2027, the challenge for the global health community is how to maximize the many benefits of social media for health and well-being, while containing its substantial adverse effects. Led by DGHI adjunct professor Jonathan Quick and Duke student Zain Jafar, the authors of a new paper on social media for global health will discuss the promise and peril of these powerful channels, with a focus on actions that can be taken by social media companies, governments, and users to promote healthy use of social media, while mitigating its harms. 

SPEAKERS

Jocelyn Brewer is a Sydney-based registered psychologist with a special interest in the psychology of technology and staying human in the digital age. Jocelyn created Digital Nutrition in 2013 as a positive technology use philosophy to guide all humans’ understanding of the risks and benefits of online media content. She is a part of the Cyberpsychology Research Group at Sydney University and is a Council Member for the Centre for Digital Wellbeing.  Her research has explored the role of self-control and parenting factors in the prevention of Problematic Smartphone Use in a cohort of sixth grade.  In addition to her decade of experience as a school counselor/psychologist, she is also a speaker, educator and media commentator on cyberpsychology, digital wellbeing and mental health.

Zain Jafar is a third-year undergraduate student at Duke University completing the pre-medical track and studying a self-designed major titled Health Equity and US Healthcare Reform. His undergraduate research has examined health disparities, comparative healthcare analysis, and the intersections of technology with public health. His writing tackles similar topics and political issues and has been featured in The Washington Post.

Philip M. Napoli, Ph.D. is the James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, where he is also the Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research. His books include Social Media and the Public Interest: Media Regulation in the Disinformation Age (2019); Audience Evolution: New Technologies and the Transformation of Media Audiences (2011); and Foundations of Communications Policy: Principles and Process in the Regulation of Electronic Media. Professor Napoli has provided testimony, consultation, and research to government bodies such as the U.S. Senate, the US. Federal Communications Commission; the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority. 

Verner Venegas-Vera MD, MHA is a board certified Nephrologist at the Mexican Institute of Social Security and Christus Muguerza Hospital Faro del Mayab in Merida, Yucatan. He graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, completed an internship at Ramon y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid and completed his Master's degree in Healthcare Administration at Anahuac University. Currently, he also serves as advisor to the Nephrology Social Media Collective, is Visual Abstract editor at American Society of Nephrology journal: Kidney 360, an active Investigator with publications in the Nephrology field and affiliate to the International Society of Nephrology.

Jonathan D. Quick, MD, MPH (“Jono”) (moderator) is adjunct Professor of Global Health at DGHI, where he teaches global health policy, serves on foundation grant advisory boards, and mentors students. Dr. Quick’s current research and writing focuses on market-driven epidemics, from tobacco to opioids to social media.  He is also Affiliated Faculty in Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.  He has held senior positions at The Rockefeller Foundation, Management Sciences for Health, and World Health Organization. He has written more than 100 books, chapters, and articles, including The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It. Dr. Quick was chief resident in the Duke Family Medicine program and served in the U.S Public Health Service before going into global health.