"The process of the appropriation of ICTs and media is one of the greatest tools to empower people so that they are able to shape the world in their own terms."

An Interview with Clemencia Rodriguez ('91)
by Laura Newman

When Clemencia Rodriguez arrived in Athens Ohio in 1989 to begin her Masters Degree in Communication and Development Studies, it was not going to be her first time living in Ohio. Some twelve years earlier, Rodriguez spent a year enrolled in a rural Ohio high school as a Colombian exchange student.

Most of the students came to the program with a rather large amount of professional experience under their belts and Rodriguez is quick to point out that, during her first year at OU, she learned as much from her fellow classmates as from her professors. Within this group of students, Rodriguez says she “formed very strong friendships that to this day remain.”

Please click here for the rest for the rest of this interview.

"The program attracts people from all over the world and we work together on a variety of projects aimed at changing the knowledge, attitude, practices and skills of people in different social, cultural, political and economic contexts."
An Interview with Emmanuel Adugu ('04)
by Lourdes Caballero

Emmanuel Adugu ('04), who was part of the team that developed the CommDev Online Initiative, visited Ohio University recently. CommDev program director, Dr. Rafael Obregon, requested him to be a facilitator for the online course on Evaluation and Assessment.

Emmanuel is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Survey Research at the Ohio State University. He is also a teaching associate. We had the chance to converse with him about his thoughts on the CommDev program. Here are excerpts of that conversation:

Question: What did you like best about being part of the CommDev program?

Emmanuel Adugu (EA): I've always said I’m a “proud” alumni who benefited a lot from the program. It has really made such an indelible mark on my life. One of the best parts of the CommDev program for me is that it is like a “laboratory” where I developed a lot of skills for social change...

Please click here for the rest for the rest of this interview.

An Interview with Scott Damon ('94)
by Laura Newman

Scott Damon (’94) knew early on in his graduate school career that he wanted to work in public health. Awarded a Teaching Assistantship in 1992 with Dr. Bill Romoser, Scott was able to work closely with Dr. Romoser who was then running the Tropical Disease Institute. These first experiences at OU proved to be powerful and led Scott to decide to specialize in Tropical Public Health. Scott received his MA from the Communication and Development Studies Program in 1994 and has been involved in the field of public health ever since his graduation.

He started to work for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 1995 as a health communication officer working on a variety of health issues including malaria, air quality, respiratory health, and HIV/AIDS. Since beginning work at the CDC, Scott has worked on projects in Haiti, Romania, and thirty different U.S. states.

One of the first projects in which Scott was involved was with preventing opportunistic infections in people living with HIV before antiretroviral drugs had been invented. Scott is now working health issues surrounding temporary housing given by FEMA to victims of Hurricane Katrina in the gulf area. According to Scott, this is a particularly challenging project as the FEMA trailers were not intended for long–term use and some people have been living in the trailers for over two years. The air in the trailers is often humid and moldy and the trailers seem to give off quite a bit of formaldehyde. Scott has been busy working in the field, attending public meetings, and preparing testimony for Homeland Security about the poor air quality and other related health issues that have arose from this situation. 

What Scott enjoys most about his work in the field of public health is how rewarding it is to feel that you have contributed to preventing a serious public health issue from happening. However, Scott is also quick to point out that this is also something that makes working in the field more complex.   “It can be hard to talk about pubic health from an epidemiological perspective, to try to measure something that didn’t happen,” says Scott. “When you take a step back and reflect, it is difficult to say that my work accomplished this one thing.” Nevertheless, Scott knows that people are exposed to his work and hopes that he has been a factor in promoting prosocial change.

Prior to enrolling the CommDev department, Scott did development work in the Peace Corps from 1989 – 1991. His then–director, Jeff Comstock, had graduated from IDS at Ohio University and first told Scott about the program. Scott felt that the CommDev program was a logical combination of his skills and Peace Corps experiences, and helped him learn how to think about communication campaigns and efforts. Says Scott, “CommDev has also come a long way in increasing the practical application, as well as academic aspects of the program.” Some of Scott’s favorite classes were Esta de Fossard’s “Writing for Radio Drama” and Arvind Singhal’s “Diffusion of Innovations” course.

Please click here for the rest for the rest of this interview.