Harry Dugmore

Professor Harry Dugmore has a long-standing interest in the media’s ability to influence health behaviors and shape health identities. In the 1990s, he co-wrote the first four seasons of the acclaimed Soul City TV series. From 2001 to 2006, he was a coordinator of Khomanani, South Africa’s largest-ever HIV, AIDS and TB behavior change communication campaign. Harry’s research interests include media representations of obesity, the convergence between health journalism and digital journalism, and understanding the media’s role in shaping sexualities and sexual identities. He was research coordinator and lead writer of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) 2015 study “Diversity in Human Sexuality — Implications for Policy in Africa.” Harry was the MTN Chair of Media and Mobile Communications at Rhodes University before starting the Centre for Health Journalism at Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies in 2011. He is currently on the steering committee of the HighwayAFRICA conference, the largest annual conference of African Journalists and is a member of the South African Science Journalism Association (SASJA).