Gliner Center for Humor Communication and Health

The Gliner Center for Humor Communication and Health seeks to translate humor practices into multi-generational, multi-cultural health related programs that address community need through promising practices, education, and applied research. 

Humor Your Way to Good Health is a program for children, families, educators and health care providers.   Humor practices are used as a unique vehicle to convey messages about healthy eating and physical activity. This approach captures the attention and imagination of participants.  Evidence based research indicate that these programs have significant impact on increasing knowledge of participants and enables them to make better choices that support healthy behaviors.  Humor Your Way to Good Health programs unite children and adults in a joint quest for healthier lifestyles.

Humor and Health is a program for community members, students and health professional that focuses on using humor to cope with disability, chronic illness, and the end of life.

Fascinating World of Birds combines humor as a vehicle for teaching about the biology of birds.  This program enhances the science education of elementary school students.

Training Programs are offered by experts that prepare community members and UMD students to conduct Humor Your Way to Good Health, Fascinating World of Birds and Humor and Health programs to multicultural, multigenerational audiences.

Research focuses on translating humor studies and research into practice and service to the community, encompassing the study and use of humor communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health, and linking the domains of humor communication and health as a means to improve personal and public health.

Classes are presented to UMD students on how humor relates to the disciplines they are studying.

Lectures and Symposia are presented on humor communication and health to community members and faculty, staff and students of the University.

Humor Resource Library will be available as a Special Collection next fall at the U MD Hornbake Library.

Gliner Humor Productions is a multimedia initiative that creates films, tapes and photomontages to convey humor based messages about health.

Gliner Fellows are responsible for developing and implementing research, education and service projects of the Gliner Center.  Current Fellows are Diane Ambur, Rosa Marie Cody, Danalee Henkart, Dr. Laveen Kanal, Craig Lindsay, Sonya-Marie Mercer, Donna Sasser and Gary Spizler.

To participate or for more information, please contact

Sharon P. Simson, PhD, Director of the Gliner Center for Humor Communication and Health
Research Professor, Dept. of Health Services Administration, UMD School of Public Health