PHE 610 Module 9 Discussion Example

Reviewed by Delia Ravenscroft, MSN, RN

This PHE 610 Module 9 Discussion sample plans how to communicate a policy recommendation to the people who will vote on it. It was written for SNHU PHE 610 (PHE-610), the MPH health policy and management course, whose ninth module asks how public health professionals communicate evidence and recommendations to policymakers, the media and the public. The audience is a state House health committee in a composite northern Plains state that will hear a dental therapy bill for a third time. The post draws on studies of what state legislators want from research and who they trust, sketches a one-page brief built around one story and one number, chooses messengers and explains why the safety objection has to be met head on. It asks classmates who the most persuasive messenger would be for their own issue.

CoursePHE 610 Health Policy and Management
ModuleModule 9
Paper typegraduate discussion post on communicating policy to decision makers
LengthAbout 360 words, 3 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolSouthern New Hampshire University
ProgramMPH
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for PHE 610 Module 9

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Module Nine Discussion

One Page, One Story, One Number

Next session the dental therapy bill will go to the House health committee for the third time. Eleven members, about two minutes each to read whatever we hand them, and a dental association lobbyist who has won twice. How we communicate the recommendation may matter as much as the recommendation itself.

What this page is doingThe audience is named in the opening.
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The research on state legislators is consistent. Brownson et al. (2011) tested different formats of policy briefs with state policymakers and found that a brief combining data with a personal story was rated more understandable and credible than a data-only version, and that legislators in particular preferred short, local information. Dodson et al. (2015) found that legislators rely most on sources they consider trusted, timely and relevant to their own districts, often constituents and colleagues rather than researchers. A systematic review by Oliver et al. (2014) found the same pattern across countries: timely access to good research and personal contact with researchers ranked among the strongest facilitators of evidence use.

So the brief will be one page. It will open with the father in our western county who died after three dentists turned him away, and it will carry one number: 49 of 61 counties lack enough dentists. The recommendation, tribal authorization now and statewide licensure in three years with an automatic trigger, gets three sentences. The safety objection gets its own line: in Alaska, communities with more dental therapist care saw fewer extractions, not more harm.

The messengers matter most. Public health staff are not the most persuasive voice here. A tribal health director from the committee chair's district and a rural Republican legislator who has watched his own county lose its dentist will carry more weight than our agency could. Our job is to equip them, not replace them. That means giving each of them the brief a week early, rehearsing the two questions the association's lobbyist is most likely to raise, and making sure both can say in their own words why an automatic second phase is a fair test rather than a blank check.

What this page is doingEvidence on policymakers shapes format and messengers.
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For classmates: who is the single most persuasive messenger for your recommendation, and why them rather than you?

What this page is doingThe question asks peers about their audience.
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References

Brownson, R. C., Dodson, E. A., Stamatakis, K. A., Casey, C. M., Elliott, M. B., Luke, D. A., Wintrode, C. G., & Kreuter, M. W. (2011). Communicating evidence-based information on cancer prevention to state-level policy makers. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 103(4), 306-316. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djq529

Dodson, E. A., Geary, N. A., & Brownson, R. C. (2015). State legislators' sources and use of information: Bridging the gap between research and policy. Health Education Research, 30(6), 840-848. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyv044

Oliver, K., Innvar, S., Lorenc, T., Woodman, J., & Thomas, J. (2014). A systematic review of barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence by policymakers. BMC Health Services Research, 14, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-2

What the PHE 610 Module 9 instructions ask for

The Module Nine discussion in PHE 610 deals with communicating health policy, and a common prompt asks how you would present your recommendation to decision makers or the public. Plan on a post near one page with a few APA 7 sources and substantive replies. Name a specific audience, such as a legislative committee, a county board or a news reporter, and explain what that audience needs, in what format and from whom. The best posts use evidence on how policymakers actually use research rather than general advice about clear writing. Address how you would handle opposition or competing messages. A final line that asks peers about their own audience and messenger keeps the thread going.

How this PHE 610 Module 9 discussion example is built

The post plans a briefing for a House health committee that has twice rejected a dental therapy bill. It cites Brownson and colleagues' finding that legislators preferred short policy briefs combining data with a story, and Dodson and colleagues' finding that they rely on trusted, timely and local sources. The plan is a one-page brief led by the story of a father who died of a tooth infection and a single number, 49 of 61 counties short of dentists. Messengers are a tribal health director and a rural Republican legislator rather than public health staff. The safety objection is answered with Alaska data on its own line. Peers are asked who would be their best messenger.

Where the PHE 610 Module 9 rubric puts the points

Graders of the PHE 610 communication discussion typically look for a clearly defined audience, a message and format matched to that audience, use of evidence about policy communication and correct APA 7 citations. High-scoring posts show awareness that policymakers have limited time, value local data and trusted messengers, and weigh political as well as technical considerations. Posts that offer general tips, or that would hand legislators a full research paper, score lower. Engagement with classmates, such as suggesting a stronger messenger or a sharper number for their issue, often counts toward the grade. Instructors may also expect a reference to a course reading on risk or policy communication.

PHE 610 Module 9 help: the mistakes that cost points

The most frequent weakness in this discussion is a message designed for other public health professionals rather than for the stated audience, full of jargon and confidence intervals. A second is choosing the agency as the messenger when a constituent, clinician or local leader would carry more weight. Students also leave out the opposition, as if the audience would hear only one side. If your audience is different, such as a county commission, a school board or a hospital board, tell us who they are and what they care about, and the plan will be built for them. Strong posts test their message against a busy reader who has two minutes before a vote.

Get PHE 610 Module 9 written to your instructions

Tell us the PHE 610 Module 9 prompt and who needs to hear your recommendation. The post will plan the message, format and messengers for that audience using evidence on how policymakers use research, and finish by putting a question to peers. Turnaround is about two days, and a first sample is on us. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.

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PHE 610 Module 9 questions, answered

Where can I find a free PHE 610 Module 9 Discussion sample?

This page includes the complete PHE 610 Module 9 post planning a one-page brief and messengers for a legislative committee hearing a dental therapy bill.

What do state legislators want from health research?

Studies of legislators find they prefer short, timely, locally relevant summaries that combine data with a story and come from sources they trust.

What is a policy brief?

A short document, often one or two pages, that states a problem, summarizes evidence, presents options or a recommendation and explains the implications for decision makers.

Who is the best messenger for a health policy?

Often someone the audience already trusts, such as a constituent, a local clinician or a fellow legislator, rather than an agency or advocacy group.

Should a policy brief address the opposition?

Yes. Ignoring a known objection leaves it unanswered in the decision maker's mind. Address the strongest objection briefly with evidence.