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Alumna Sarah Canavese Named 2014 Smith/Patterson Summer Fellow

She Will Work on Projects Related to Food Security, Food Policy and Childhood Obesity

Columbia, Mo. (May 12, 2014) — University of Missouri public health graduate student Sarah Canavese, BJ ’10, has been named the 2014 Smith/Patterson Summer Fellow.

Sarah Canavese, BJ '10
Sarah Canavese, BJ ’10

Canavese will join the Health Communication Research Center (HCRC) in late May. HCRC is headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism.

Canavese brings a strong background in health, science and journalism to the position. She has developed websites for the Missouri Institute for Community Health and taught for two years in South Korea.

“In a world where we are bombarded with information, being able to communicate with audiences about health and the science behind it is important,” Canavese said. “I am also excited to be hands-on in the steps of research.”

True to its Missouri-Method roots, the HCRC gives students the opportunity to work on real-world grants and contracts related to science and health communication across the state and around the globe. Canavese will work on projects related to food security, food policy and childhood obesity.

“Sarah brings a solid educational background in journalism and the health sciences,” said Jon Stemmle, HCRC co-director and assistant professor of strategic communication. “Moreover, she is a standout when it comes to making science communication accessible for real-world budgets and diverse audiences.”

Russ Smith and Joye Patterson
Russell G. Smith II, BJ ’67, MA ’71, endowed a science journalism fellowship and lecture series at the School in honor of his former professor and mentor, Joye Patterson, MA ’62, PhD ’66.

The annual fellowship and accompanying Lecture Series was made possible through a $100,000 gift from Russell G. Smith II in honor of former MU professor Joye Patterson, who was Smith’s mentor throughout college. Patterson, who taught science writing at the journalism school from 1966-88, died in 2012.

Smith was raised in St. Louis and has been active in the Joplin business community for the past 36 years. Smith earned two degrees from MU: a bachelor of journalism degree in 1967 and a master of arts degree in 1971 with a focus in science writing and public relations. He is the managing partner of MYRUSH Futures, LP, a Midwest investment property and consulting firm. Previously, he was Missouri division president of May’s Drug Stores Inc., based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Smith’s wife, Gail, is also an alumna who received a bachelor of arts degree in education from MU in 1968.

The Smith/Patterson Fellowship is designed for early health/science journalists and communicators. The fellowship helps a currently-enrolled or just-graduated master’s student gain hands-on experience in communicating science, health and technology through hand-on experience with real-world projects. The fellowship program challenges motivated students to organize, analyze and disseminate technical information using a variety of tools and channels to inform the public about current health innovations, discoveries and social challenges, as well as those on the horizon.

Updated: June 15, 2021

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