Name: Dr. Kim Walsh-Childers
Born: Roswell, New Mexico
Graduated from: University of Missouri — Columbia (Bachelor’s degree), University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill (Master’s and PhD degrees)
Areas of research: News coverage of health issues, mass media effects of health policy and individual health and the relationship between mass media content and adolescent sexual beliefs and behavior.
Kim Walsh-Childers has taught at UF since August 1990. Childers’ teaching areas are journalism/mass media ethics and a graduate seminar in mass media and health. She recently has opened up a mass media and health class to undergraduates. Childers enjoys drinking tea and is experienced in martial arts.
Her Campus: Why did you major in journalism, and what did you think you were going to accomplish with that major?
Kim Walsh-Childers: “I majored in journalism because I thought I was going to be the great American novelist. Early on, I realized that I probably needed some kind of skill that would support me until I got my first big book contract. This is where I discovered you can’t get out of the journalism school without doing a stint on The Missourian newspaper. It was the second largest newspaper in town; it was a full-fledged real newspaper, not just a student one.”
HC: What was your position at The Missourian newspaper, and how did writing there kick-start your career?
KC: “I remember telling people I would dig ditches for a living before I ever write for a newspaper, but I ended up staying there for a while. The first section I wrote for was the entertainment section. If it wasn’t for my really great editor, I wouldn’t have realized that the things that happened in real life were way more interesting than the things I searched up in my head for stories. He once told me, ‘If you’re not having fun doing this story, it’s not going to be fun to read,’ and that totally changed my attitude.”
HC: Is this where you decided to focus on health-related stories?
KC: “My switch was actually coincidental. I never made a plan to switch to writing health stories. After a couple summers interning at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper in Georgia, I eventually applied for a job. I applied to a health and business feature that was available at the time. I wrote 23 stories that ran over 12 days on the issue of high infant-mortality rates in Georgia and Alabama. I ended up receiving the National Public Health Association Science in Society writer award for that specific series. From there I decided to go back to school at the University of North Carolina and enroll into the master’s program; eventually I received my PhD. This is where I started my professional project research on sexual abuse and teenager’s sexual health with the media.”
HC: The phenomenon of “writer’s block” happens to almost every student doing research or writing thesis papers. Do you have any tricks or tips on how to nix the habit?
KC: “The key to writing any long document, such as a thesis, dissertation or series of articles, is to remember: No one plans to write the entire thing in one sitting. You write pieces that become whatever it is you’re writing. Think it through really well so you have a clear outline in your head. It’s all about thinking in terms of ‘chunks,’ and thinking in terms of being reasonable of what you can actually get done. Some days it’s going to go really well and you’re going to rocket through. Others might not be this way, and that’s okay. Last piece of advice is to keep that Facebook page closed!”
HC: While you were researching and studying sexual abuse data, did you come across any research on how women can prevent this from happening to them?
KC: “Trust your instincts; they are there for a reason. We don’t like to think of ourselves as being animals, but we are. Just like every other kind of animal, we still have survival instincts. We always told women if you are creeped out by a situation, there is probably a reason for it. Women who want to protect themselves need to be suspicious of everyone until they have proven that they are trustworthy.”
HC: Since your specialty is health, can you name three things that a person can do to be healthier?
KC: “Sleep is definitely one of them, and is always underrated. Having enough sleep is one of the key factors of having a healthy lifestyle. I am also a big believer in moderation; balance is another way of looking at it. It’s neither good to indulge or completely take something away, so we moderate our cravings. Lastly, learn to cope with change. Whatever you are doing now is going to change, and you’re going to feel differently about things in the future. Nobody likes change, but it is important to embrace it rather than avoid it.”
Photo Courtesy of Kim Walsh-Childers