IADE and the Portuguese League Against Cancer join forces on health literacy project

IADE - the European University's Faculty of Design, Technology and Communication - challenged final-year Communication Sciences students to explore the subject of cancer, in an innovative project that combines research and the production of hypermedia reports. Entitled “Cancro: Comunicar para Melhor Conhecer”, the initiative was carried out as part of the Digital Communication Laboratory course and was supported by the Portuguese League Against Cancer - Southern Regional Center (LPCC-NRS).

The project aimed to explore the cancer situation in Portugal and around the world, highlighting the essential role of communication in prevention and treatment. By disseminating information based on scientific evidence, the aim was to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and preventive measures. This approach reflects the Curricular Unit's mission: to develop skills in digital journalism and explore health communication as a vector for social change.

The partnership with LPCC-NRS gave students access to up-to-date statistical data and secondary sources that enriched the reports.

“By bringing the topic of cancer into the context of Communication Sciences, this project reinforces IADE's commitment to training professionals capable of approaching complex topics with creativity, rigor and social responsibility,” said Professor Élmano Ricarte, who is responsible for the initiative at IADE. He also pointed out that “the students' involvement and enthusiasm throughout the project resulted in excellent work, capable of contributing to the promotion of health literacy and public debate on a topic as relevant as cancer”.

Among the 20 pieces of work developed by the students, topics such as pediatric cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer stand out, explored through hypermedia reports. Each piece combined multimedia, fact-checking and interactivity, with the aim of offering the public accessible and impactful content.

The reports were made available on digital platforms, reinforcing the importance of digital communication in raising awareness about cancer:

• Broken Cycles (about ovarian cancer)
• Maldito Bicho - Pediatric Cancer (about cancer in children and adolescents)                  
• ENTRELAÇOS, Cancer in Women      
• “Inside the Fight: The Emotional and Physical Impact of Breast Cancer” (on breast cancer) 
• Caring is Living: Supporting Cancer Awareness in the Elderly (about cancer in the elderly) 
• Invisible Force - Beyond Pancreatic Cancer (on pancreatic cancer) 
• Living in the lap of health, prevention is saving (on cervical cancer)       
• Taking Care of Your Health is Also a Man's Thing (on prostate cancer)   
• Synapses of Hope (on brain cancer)       
• Childhood Leukemia: Resilience, Support and Hope - Drops of Strength (about Leukemia)
• The Challenge of Every Breath: Lung Cancer (on lung cancer)        
• Voices of Inheritance (on Oncological Inheritance)           
• Colonically Correct - The reality of colorectal cancer (on Colorectal Cancer)
• On the Skin of Prevention (on Skin Cancer) 
• Prevention is living (on colorectal cancer)           
• To speak is to live - The fight against oral cancer at the IPO (on oral cancer)         
• Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis, Treatment and Hope (on Hodgkin's Lymphoma)       
• FortaleSer - bone cancer (on bone cancer) 
• From glass to diagonosis, the fight against liver cancer (on Liver cancer)          
• Between ampullae and tumors (on cancer of the ampulla of Vater)