SANTOSH VIJAYKUMAR, MA

Present Position: Doctoral Student/Project Manager| Health Communication Research Lab | Saint Louis University| School of Public Health | Suite 408-V, 3545 Lafayette Ave | Saint Louis, MO 63104.

Contact Details: Office Phone: (314)-977-4751| Office Fax: (314)-977-4016 | Cell Phone: (573)356-9860 | Email: santoshvijaykumar@gmail.com | URL: http://www.santoshvijaykumar.com

 

Research Interests

 E-health | Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs) |Behavior Change Communication | Breast Cancer | Prostate Cancer| Family Planning/ Reproductive Health | HIV/AIDS | Knowledge Management |

 

Education

 Year                            Discipline                    Degree                        Institution

2009 (expected)          Public Health               PhD                 Saint Louis University

2005                            Journalism                  MA                   Univ. of Missouri-Columbia

2002                            Management               M.Com                        University of Mumbai

1999                            Commerce                  B.Com             University of Mumbai

1998                            Mass Communication Diploma           AIIMAS, India

 

HONORS

·         Student Fellow, Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics, Indiana University (Bloomington), 2008

·         Doctoral Scholarship from Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 2007-2008

·         Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship Award from Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 2005-2007

·         Samuel J. Webb Scholarship from University of Missouri School of Journalism, 2004

 

Publications

In Review

Vijaykumar, S., Wray, R.J., Rodgers, S., Morris, D. (2008). Comparative analysis of information quality in commercial and nonprofit breast cancer websites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (in review).

Cohen, E., Vijaykumar, S., Wray, R.J., Karamehic, A. (2008). Minimization of public health risks in newspapers after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Communication Research Reports (in review).

Accepted for Publication, In Press and Published

Vijaykumar, S. (2008) Communicating safe motherhood: Strategic messaging in a globalized world. Marriage and Family Review (accepted for publication).

Wray R, McClure S, Vijaykumar S, Smith C, Ivy A, Jupka K, and Hess R. (2007) Changing the 

      conversation about prostate cancer among African Americans: Results of formative research. Ethnicity and Health (in press).

Vijaykumar, S., Banerjee, J., Baker, E. (2007) Evaluating e-consultations as catalysts for the

     youth HIV/AIDS Movement. Cases in Public Health Communication & Marketing, Available

     from: http://www.casesjournal.org/volume1/peer-reviewed/cases_1_10.cfm.

Vijaykumar, S. (2007). Treatment education is critical. Economic and Political Weekly, 42(14),

     1249-125.

Demiris, G., Edison, K., Vijaykumar, S. (2005). A comparison of communication models of

traditional and video-meditated health care delivery. International Journal of Medical Informatics 74(10), 851-856.

In preparation

Vijaykumar, S. Mactinosh, L. Tapping networks in the global youth AIDS movement: A network text analysis of three e-consultations (in preparation).

 

PRESENTATIONS

Scientific Papers:

Vijaykumar, S. Mactinosh, L. (2007) Tapping networks in the global youth AIDS movement: A network     text analysis of three e-consultations. Paper accepted at the International Sunbelt Social Network         Conference, Corfu, Greece, May 2007.

Macintosh, L. Vijaykumar, S. (2007) Reflections of global youth opinion on online forums. Paper                 accepted at the International Sunbelt Social Network Conference, Corfu, Greece, May 2007.

Vijaykumar, S., Rodgers, S. (2006) Comparative analysis of information quality in commercial and             nonprofit breast cancer websites. Poster presented at the 11th. World Congress on Internet in             Medicine, Toronto, Canada, October 2006.

Wray, R.J., McClure, S., Vijaykumar, S., Smith, C., Ivy, A., Jupka, K., Hess, R., (2006) Changing the         conversations about prostate cancer among African Americans: Results from formative Research.        Poster presented at the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) Open House         at the Saint Louis University School of Public Health, Missouri, USA, October 2006.

Invited talks:                                                                                                        

Vijaykumar, S. ‘Discovering careers in health communication.’ Delivered to the final year Bachelor of         Mass Media students at SIES College, University of Mumbai, India.

  

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

·         Peer Reviewer, Cases in Public Health Communication & Marketing

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Health Communication Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, USA

Project Manager, December 2007 – Present

Study: Prostate cancer survivor outreach and message testing study (FA: National Cancer Institute)

·         Contributing to study design and conceptualization, conducting in-depth interviews and participant    observation in focus group sessions, writing research manuscript.   

 Doctoral Research Assistant, September 2005 – December ’2007

Study: Adherence to public health directives in the event of an emergency involving plague: An exploratory, qualitative study.” (FA: Centers for Disease Control).

·         Consulted in designing and developing the study that included in-depth interviews with emergency responders, community leaders, and households.

·         Analyzed qualitative data from in-depth interviews to examine the influence of community factors that impinge on the likelihood of adherence to emergency directives, using Atlas.ti software.

 Principal Investigator

Study: Evaluation of online learning networks through network text analysis (Sub-contractor: Pact International, FA: USAID)

·         Led study team comprising a co-investigator and consultant in collaborating with Taking IT Global    (TIG) for data collection from online discussion forums.

·         Conceptualized research design for two studies: 1) Network text analysis of e-consultations           organized to mobilize the social movement around global youth HIV/AIDS; 2) Network text analysis of online discussion forums to identify patterns of global youth attitudes and beliefs on culture and identity, peace, conflict and governance, and health and wellness.

·     Successfully submitted project report to Pact International; Disseminated preliminary findings at      the INSNA Conference, 2007; Research manuscript presently in preparation.

Center for Communication Programs Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA

Consultant (The INFO Project), June 2005 – August 2005

·         Evaluated Electronic Communication System (ECS) on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH), by conducting in-depth telephonic interviews and surveys among international RH workers in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.

·         Identified strategic collaborators in USAID’s Joint Programming Countries for a business development exercise.

·         Researched and developed technical content for a Knowledge Management paper.

 

University of Missouri-Columbia

Graduate Assistant (School of Journalism), May 2004 – July 2004

Study:  Content analysis of cancer coverage in black newspapers (FA: National Cancer Institute)

·        Coded newspaper articles for a content analysis of breast cancer coverage in African American   newspapers.

Graduate Research Assistant (Investigative Reporters & Editors), August 2003 – May 2004

·      Maintained an online database nearly 20,000 investigative stories; coordinated tipsheet requests     from members.

Graduate Research Assistant (Sinclair School of Nursing), May 2003 – July 2004

Study: Meta-analytic synthesis of intervention trials to increase exercise or medication adherence

·       Coded research articles related to various cancers, diabetes and heart disease for a meta-analysis of studies on chronic illness exercise interventions. 

 

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & ASSISTANCE

Health Communication Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, USA

Project Manager, December 2007 – Present

Study: Prostate cancer survivor outreach and message testing study (National Cancer Institute-UO1)

·  Supervising and coordinating program activities, aligning activities with timeline and budget, maintaining program materials, coordinating a quasi-experimental study, maintaining research data, and supervising a research assistant.

Center for Communication Programs Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA

Consultant (Asia Division), December 2004 – May 2005 

·     Program Administration: Provided backstopping, programmatic, and administrative support for all projects in Asia including contract management, preparation of project summaries, monitoring of internal and external review processes, budget calculation, and tracking and review of progress and financial reports.

·  Technical Assistance: Assisted in all phases of project development, from research and conceptualization of campaigns and media materials to assisting with project evaluation plans.

·         Strategic Writing: Drafted the sub-strategy for the folk media component of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Project (HAPP) in Bangladesh.

·         Field Research: Conducted a situation analysis on leprosy awareness programs in India

·   Business Development: Analyzed competitor funding patterns as part of an organization-wide business development operation.

 

Programs Intern (Asia Division), Aug 2004 – Dec 2004

·         Program Administration: Coordinated all junior/senior programs staff for the Asia Division as part of the USAID annual review; Created performance evaluation indicator matrices that integrated strategic objectives and indicators of JHUCCP with those set by USAID.

·         Technical Assistance: Coordinated and conceptualized the production of a Best Practices in FP/RH advocacy manual.

· Technical Assistance: Analyzed content of design documents of radio scripts for Entertainment-Education (EE) initiatives in India and Vietnam.

·   Documentation: Liaised with senior program staff in documenting and operationalizing the marketing and communication strategies of STARH (an FP/RH initiative) and Bidan Delima (a private midwife program) in Indonesia; assisted with core program duties like contracts, budgets, and proposals.

 

JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE

The Indian Express Group of Publications, Mumbai, India

Correspondent, June 2000 – July 2001 

·         In-charge of the transportation beat – responsible for reporting on public transport, environment, and human rights issues.

·         Exclusive coverage: a) controversial issue of toxic industrial effluent treatment plants and its impact on the health of rural populations in Western India; b) hazardous working conditions of Mumbai’s impoverished goldsmiths; c) The International Human Rights Conference, 2000, held in Panchgani, Maharashtra; d) Child pornography by Swiss tourists.

·    Led two investigative news campaigns that impacted in state-wide regulation related to public transport at airports, and vehicular fuel monitoring mechanisms.

 Times of India; The Indian Express; The Asian Age; rediff.com; JAM, India

Freelance Journalist, March 1996 – May 2000

 ·         As College Bureau Chief for JAM, responsible for media coverage of all intramural events

 ·     Reported on youth-related psychological and socio-cultural issues including second-child                        syndrome, eve teasing, and education; features writing on sports, and entertainment.

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

·         Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics (RKCSI)

·         Global Health Council

·         International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA)

·         International AIDS Society (IAS).

 

CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS ATTENDED

·         International Network of Social Network Analysts (INSNA), 2007 (Presenter)

·         11th World Congress on Internet in Medicine, 2006 (Presenter)

·         International AIDS Conference, 2006 (Delegate)

·         National Science Foundation Grant Writing Workshop, 2005 (Participant)

·         South Asian Journalists Association Annual Convention, 2005 (Delegate)

·         e-health: Current status and future trends in EU and US, 2004 (Delegate)

·     Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), 2004  (Volunteer)

 

COMPUTER PROFICIENCY

·         MS-Office Suite, SPSS, Endnote, Atlas.ti, Dreamweaver, Photoshop

LANGUAGES

·      English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil (native)