By Mike Mackert

On Monday Siddhartha Mukherjee gave the McGovern Lecture in Health Communication, which recognizes someone doing outstanding communication related to health, medicine, and public health. We’ve had so many wonderful speakers come to UT to deliver this talk and receive this award, and Siddhartha Mukherjee was an exceptionally worthy recipient and a fantastic speaker.

Mukherjee’s talk revolved around his new book The Gene: An Intimate History, the ethical implications of advances in genetics, and some of the communication issues surrounding the history and future of the technology. It was a thought-provoking talk that led to – I’m sure – plenty of conversations afterwards about what he discussed and challenged his audience to think about.

It was also an exciting moment for the CHC, as it was our first major event since the public announcement of the joint operation of the CHC under both the Moody College of Communication and Dell Medical School. Siddhartha Mukherjee was really the perfect recipient and speaker for this year’s award as we continue to grow that Moody-Dell Med relationship and make more connections between faculty and students on our respective sides of campus.

There are few things more certain that medicine and technology will continue to advance in the coming years. Thoughtful, talented communicators will be essential to ensuring the public understands these advances and can participate in the conversation about what they mean for society. I’m excited for the role the CHC can play in helping inform and shape how that communication can happen in the most effective manner possible.