On behalf of Barbara F. Sharf and Donald L. Rubin: It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of our remarkable friend and colleague, Professor Vicki S. Freimuth. She demonstrated amazing resilience, courage, and care for others while undergoing nearly four years of extremely harsh effects of illness and treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. Vicki passed away on Sunday, October 20, just two weeks after her 80th birthday. It is no overstatement to say that Vicki was a founder of the field of health communication, and in particular, a key figure in linking public health practice and research to communication. As a communication scholar, her impact through her writings, teaching, organizational prowess, and vision has had immense impact not only within academia, but on the national public health system as well. What follows in this announcement is our appreciation for an exceptional person & career so well lived.
Vicki earned a B.S. from Eastern Illinois University, an M.A. from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from Florida State University, which several years later honored her as a distinguished alumna. From 1974 until 1996, she served on the faculty of Communication at the University of Maryland and as Director of Health Communication, an uncommon program at that time During the latter 1970s, Vicki was an influential participant (one of very few women) in a small fledgling interest group that developed into the Health Communication Division within the International Communication Association. A few years after, she also helped form the Health Communication divisions in NCA and the American Public Health Association.
In 1996, Vicki was chosen as Director of Communication for the Centers of Disease Control (CDC)), where she served for 8 years. During her time in that position, she headed the process of messaging to Americans public health information for a series of national crises, including the 9/11 attacks, the anthrax governmental attacks, and then deadly outbreaks of SARS and West Nile viruses. Under her direction, CDC was re-organized to start speaking directly to the public, thus re-framing the agency as the public's most trusted health information authority. In 2004, Vicki returned to academia with joint appointments in the departments of Communication and Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Georgia (UGA). Importantly, she became the founding Director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication. The Center offered grants to encourage and help train junior colleagues to develop health communication projects of their own, while creating linkages with other agencies and more senior researchers.
Vicki's own body of scholarship includes two co- edited volumes on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and a solo-authored book entitled Searching for Health Information, and more than a hundred scholarly journal articles and book chapters. She served on several academic editorial boards, including Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, and Journal of Health Communication. Not surprisingly, Vicki was honored with numerous prestigious awards. Of special interest to ICA members, she was the first recipient of the NCA-ICA Health Communication Outstanding Scholar Award. Other honors included Woman of the Year from University of Maryland (1990), the Distinguished Career Award from the American Public Health Association (2003), and an honorary doctorate from Emerson College (2010). Vicki was also a dedicated teacher who advised dozens of theses and dissertations, mentored grant proposals, and delighted in the many students who often could be found at her home, more than a few of whom became life-long friends.
After her retirement from UGA, Vicki continued to work with public health colleagues on grants and other projects until health problems interfered. But it is important to acknowledge that her life was always lively and full of many activities. Both for her work, and also for pleasure, Vicki traveled throughout the world, including bee-keeper tours, organized by her life partner of many decades, Harold Liberman. Vicki, a Master Gardener, and Harold established lovely farm and garden areas with various animals in their homes in Maryland, Georgia, and finally Cincinnati. She leaves behind son Ben, daughter Katie, and two step-sons, Aric and Carl Liberman. She was a dedicated grandmother to eight grandchildren, and even in the final months of life, flew across country to attend college graduations. Also in retirement, she devoted time and attention to her considerable artistic instincts, which included beautifully-crafted creations made from stained glass and upcycled antique ceramics. She became a serious water color painter, as well. Her work was sold in local markets as well as her store on the Etsy website.
Plans for a celebration of Vicki's life by her family, as well as for some form of professional memorial are now in process; we will try to get the news out when details are in place. Throughout her career, Vicki nurtured an entire generation of public health communicators who themselves went on to become leaders in the field she helped create. Her colleagues, students, and many friends remember her fondly for her generosity, patience, kindness, broad knowledge, practical expertise, and ever-present enthusiasm. Her talents crossed many areas and we are fortunate to be able to claim her as one of our own.
Submitted by:
Barbara F. Sharf
Professor Emerita
Department of Communication & Journalism
Texas A & M Universi
Donald L. Rubin
Emeritus Professor
University of Georgia
Department of Communication Studies
Department of Language & Literacy Education
Program in Linguistics
Senior Consultant, Creative Thinkers LLThank