Global Health Media Innovation Lab
The Global Health Media Innovation Lab aims to engage people around the world, through innovative digital media productions. We collaborate with academic institutions and global health agencies to translate evidence-based health recommendations into messages that are easily understood and shared. Our academic collaborators work at the WHO, UNICEF, the IASC, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. Creative partners around the world share their talents to help us deliver our messages with a little bit of magic and inspiration. This initiative is led by Maya Adam M.D.
Human being. Handle with care.
Feeling stressed? You're not alone. Rates of anxiety, depression and burnout have soared in recent years. Look after yourself by getting enough sleep, eating sensibly, staying active and remembering to breathe mindfully. To learn more about a breathing technique called cyclic sighing, watch this short video.
2024 Silver Medal from the AAMC Group on Institutional Advancement
A Little Help Goes a Long Way
2023 Gold Medal from the AAMC Group on Institutional Advancement
In the face of compounding stresses, many people struggle to find the strength to go on at times. Millions of people around the world are facing mental health challenges since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding the courage to ask for help is one of the most important things we can do when we’re feeling overwhelmed. A little help can change everything. This video was directed and produced by Maya Adam. Animation: Matt Torode. Soundtrack: Misha Seeff. Special thanks to: Ann Doerr, Till Bärnighausen, Shuyan Liu, Jennifer Gates and Bonnie Maldonado.
Impostor Syndrome: You're Not Alone
Impostor syndrome is common, especially in high-achievers, women and under-represented minorities. And it’s problematic because it threatens our efforts to promote diversity in the workplace. If you struggle with impostor syndrome, you’re not alone. Talk about it with someone you trust. You’ve worked hard to be where you are. This video was directed by Maya Adam MD (madam@stanford.edu) Animation by Matt Torode and original soundtrack by Misha Seeff.
My Hero is You 2: How Kids Can Hope with COVID-19
This video is an adaptation of the children’s book, My Hero is You 2, released in 2021 to send a message of hope to children all around the world. As a global community navigating an ongoing pandemic, it can be difficult to stay hopeful at times. Our wish is that this short film warms your heart, makes you smile and reminds you that we are in this together.
My Hero is You 2 is the sequel to the original book, My Hero is You (released in 2020). These storybooks were created by mental health and psychosocial support experts from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the United Nations. A team, led by Stanford Medicine’s Maya Adam, adapted these stories into short animated films, with input and oversight from the IASC Mental health and Psychosocial Support Reference Group, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Media Library
In the News
Speaking of Medicine and HealthPLOS Medicine Author Interview: Maya Adam, MD - Speaking of Medicine and Health
PLOS Medicine interviews author Maya Adam, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University.
The Stanford DailyQ&A: Health Media Innovation director Maya Adam says non-traditional innovators can help solve global health challenges
The Daily sat down with Maya Adam ’04, the director of Stanford’s Health Media Innovation and leader of the Global Child Health Media Initiative. Her background includes a period of being a…
ScopeThe power of animation: Two videos offer messages of hope during the pandemic
Two animated videos from Stanford Medicine aim to help people around the world who are struggling to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JHC ImpactMy Hero is You
Health entertainment to support children during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis
ScopeStanford project brings health education videos to mothers in South Africa - Scope
A Stanford team is developing health education videos that can be used by community health workers to help mothers and babies in South Africa.
Publications & Awards
Awards
- Official Selection: World Health Organization's 2024 Health for All Film Festival
- AAMC-GIA 2024 Silver Award for Handle with Care
- Circle of Excellence Gold Award for A Little Help Goes a Long Way
- AAMC-GIA 2023 Gold Award for A Little Help Goes a Long Way
- AAMC-GIA 2022 Bronze Award for the COVID-19 Animation Series
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education 2022 Circle of Excellence - Bronze Award for The Great Race
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education 2022 Circle of Excellence - Silver Award for Grandma Knows Best
- Vegas Movie Awards for My Hero is You
- International PSA Competition for The Great Race 2020
- Your Script Produced! Season 3 quarter finalist for The Dog Box
- Independent Shorts Award for My Hero is You
- International KidsNFilm Festival selection for My Hero is You
- Canadian Cinematography Awards (CaCA) finalist for My Hero is You
- Paris Lift-Off Film Festival selection for My Hero is You
- One-Reeler Short Film Competition award winner for COVID-19 Vaccine: Bringing us Together
- Best Shorts Competition selection for COVID-19 Vaccine: Bringing us Together
- Cordillera International Film Festival selection for COVID-19 Vaccine: Bringing us Together
- SATISFIED EYE International Film Festival finalist for COVID-19 Vaccine: Bringing us Together
- LA Femme International Film Festival selection for COVID-19 Vaccine: Bringing us Together
- Docs Without Borders Film Festival award winner for COVID-19 Vaccine: Bringing us Together
Publications
Vandormael A, Adam M, Greuel M, Gates J, Favaretti C, Hachaturyan V, Bärnighausen T. The Effect of a Wordless, Animated, Social Media Video Intervention on COVID-19 Prevention: Online Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR public health and surveillance. 2021 Jul 27;7(7):e29060.
Adam M, McMahon SA, Prober C, Bärnighausen T. Human-Centered Design of Video-Based Health Education: An Iterative, Collaborative, Community-Based Approach. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2019;21(1):e12128.!
Favaretti C, Vandormael A, Hachaturyan V, Greuel M, Gates J, Adam M, Bärnighausen T. Participant Engagement and Reactance to a Short, Animated Video About Added Sugars: A Web-based Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021 Sep 23. (doi: 10.2196/29669)
Chen, S., Forster, S., Yang, J., Yu, F., Jiao, L., Gates, J., ... & Adam, M. (2022). Animated, video entertainment-education to improve vaccine confidence globally during the COVID-19 pandemic: an online randomized controlled experiment with 24,000 participants. Trials, 23(1), 1-10
Favaretti C, Vandormael A, Hachaturyan V, Greuel M, Gates J, Adam M, Bärnighausen T. Participant Engagement and Reactance to a Short, Animated Video About Added Sugars: A Web-based Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2021 Sep 23. (doi: 10.2196/29669)
Adam M, Chase RP, McMahon SA, Kuhnert KL, Johnston J, Ward V, Prober C, Bärnighausen T. Design preferences for global scale: a mixed-methods study of “glocalization” of an animated, video-based health communication intervention. BMC public health. 2021 Dec;21(1):1-2.
Adam M, Bärnighausen T, McMahon SA, Design for extreme scalability: A wordless, globally scalable COVID-19 prevention animation for rapid public health communication. Journal of Global Health. 2020; 10.
Vandormael A, Adam M, Greuel M, Gates J, Favaretti C, Hachaturyan V, Bärnighausen T. The Effect of a Wordless, Animated, Social Media Video Intervention on COVID-19 Prevention: Online Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR public health and surveillance. 2021 Jul 27;7(7):e29060.