Dr. Edward Maibach is a University Professor and Director of Mason's Center for Climate Change Communication (4C). In the Department of Communication, he teaches seminars in climate change communication, strategic communication, and social marketing. His research currently focuses exclusively on how to mobilize populations to adopt behaviors and support public policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help communities adapt to the unavoidable consequences of climate change. Dr. Maibach holds a BA in social psychology from University of California at San Diego (1980), an MPH in health promotion from San Diego State University (1983), and a PhD in communication research from Stanford University (1990). Dr. Maibach previously had the pleasure to serve as Associate Director of the National Cancer Institute, Worldwide Director of Social Marketing at Porter Novelli, and Chairman of the Board for Kidsave International. He has also held academic positions at George Washington University and Emory University. What students may not know about Dr. Maibach is that he helped plan a multi-billion dollar communication campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the late 1990s. I emphasize the processes and outcomes associated with communication about health. My recent research focuses on the design of health messages to promote behavioral adaptation in situations where individuals are unable, unwilling, and/or unlikely to avoid situations and practices that put their health at risk. I have applied a behavioral adaptation approach to farmers' sun protection practices and am currently investigating its utility for involving the lay public in understanding the implications of human genetics research and information for personal well-being. I utilize a community-based approach in the dissemination of behavioral adaptation messages.
