ABSTRACT
An undergraduate student in the on-campus health center wonders why a brochure for the Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine, which protects against the sexually transmitted infection HPV, does not mention how the infection is contracted. A parent online tries to decide which medicine is right for treating her daughter’s ADHD. Physicians around the United States observe that requests for a particular prescription allergy medication have increased significantly following a televised seasonal advertising campaign. A local health educator in a large Southeastern city wonders how to better reach its growing, young, Hispanic audience about the importance of monthly breast self-exams. MS sufferers celebrate the approval of a new oral drug to treat the disease following a woman’s passionate testimony at a FDA hearing. Each of these scenarios highlights the importance of the study of rhetoric in health communication.
