One of the most fun pieces of our translational efforts has involved partnering with non-traditional collaborators, namely, faculty and students from the fields of arts and communication. Although these partnerships are more commonplace in public health, in my experience, they are less common among basic researchers. Faculty in the areas of journalism, advertising, and public relations all have much to offer to researchers, from helping us market and advertise our studies in ways that potential participants find engaging, to disseminating our results to the public in ways that are relatable and outlets that are accessible. Science is, by its very nature, a creative process, making it a natural partner for the arts and communication sciences. For example, our arts and mass communications students help to develop t-shirt designs for Spit for Science and COBE, as well as marketing materials and creative ways to disseminate the research, for example through infographics, illustrations, and podcasts.
