Interview with Professor Shaunak Sastry：Rethinking Health Communication, Lived Experience, and Community Engagement

Abstract

This interview with Professor Shaunak Sastry, conducted during MHM2026, explores the evolving role of human experience, community engagement, and critical reflection in health communication research. Building on his keynote address, “The human IS the loop: Cultural Insight, Structural Critique, and the Future of (Critical) Health Communication,” Professor Sastry reflects on his interdisciplinary academic journey and the importance of self-reflexivity in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing on his fieldwork and community-engaged research, he emphasizes the value of lived experience and local knowledge in understanding complex health challenges, arguing that meaningful research must begin with listening to communities and recognizing individuals as experts in their own lives. He further discusses the ethical responsibilities of researchers, particularly the need to connect academic knowledge with practical impact while remaining transparent about the limitations of research. Finally, Professor Sastry offers advice to early-career scholars, highlighting intellectual exploration, mentorship, collaboration, and the importance of scholarly communities. Throughout the interview, he underscores that the future of health communication depends not only on technological advancement but also on sustained attention to human experience, structural inequalities, and collective knowledge production.