development communication portfolio

MANAGED A POLICY BRIEF SERIES Designed a standard format; worked with researchers to edit research into two pages; disseminated

briefs

MANAGED AN ‘INFORMATION SHEET’ CAMPAIGN This campaign set out to contribute to public debate about key health care issues in South Africa.

Conceptualised standard format and length. Worked with a professor to come up with the structure

of each information sheet. Edited and designed final products. Disseminated information sheets.

Later, the campaign was extended to Ghana and Tanzania and the products were given out at a

policy workshop in Ghana. Received a Marketing Advancement & Communication in Education award in

2011 for this campaign.

WORKED WITH EXTERNAL PROVIDERS TO PRODUCE PROMOTIONAL

FLYERS

CONCEPTUALISED, WROTE & DESIGNED RESEARCH PROJECT FLYERS

COLLATED E-NEWSLETTERS

REDEISGNED EXISTING WEBSITES AND INTRODUCED NEW WEBSITES Overhauled existing institutional website, restructured information, added new pages (e.g., media

coverage), added new web capabilities (e.g., blog, news, RSS feeds). Worked with researchers and

providers to design project websites.

INITIATED SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECTS A Facebook page for the organisation, and a Twitter account for a research project

DESIGNED PROMOTIONAL POSTERS

PREPARED MATERIAL TO DOCUMENT THE UNIT’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

CREATED POSTERS TO MARKET POSTGRADUATE COURSES

ASSISTED TO ORGANISE A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT IN LONDON Got permission from government authorities and went with a fieldwork manager and a professional

photograph to take photographs of key research sites in the Western Cape, South Africa. Some of

these photographs were displayed at a research conference in London.

BLOGGING Wrote blogs for Research to Action to share my work experiences and get feedback from other

researchers and communication officers. Example articles:

Interview with Biomed Central’s Publishing Director Deborah Kahn

Inside BioMed Central at the 3rd Open Access Africa conference

Out of Africa: Non-academics need more open access awareness

Open Access: Reflections from the field of research communication

Researchers need training in social media: Try the coaching approach

Some impacts of communication are so elusive: Facebook and beyond