NAMC folds, qualified members invited to AHCJ
The National Association of Medical Communicators, an organization for medical broadcasters, writers, organizational spokespersons and health professionals who communicate with the public on a regular basis, has disbanded.
In a blog post about the decision, Barbara Ficarra, who was an NAMC board member and is a member of AHCJ, cites cutbacks from pharmaceutical sponsors and changes in the broadcast world. Ficarra, who says “I couldn’t walk away with trying to find a home for [NAMC's] members,” has suggested that people involved with NAMC consider joining AHCJ.
“We’re all sorry to hear about NAMC’s difficult decision to disband,” said Charles Ornstein, AHCJ’s president. “For those NAMC members who write or broadcast health news and still seek the camaraderie of a professional home, AHCJ is a terrific hub for networking, learning, sharing and friendship. We have broadcast members from throughout the country and are always looking to offer additional opportunities in this area.”
Ornstein encouraged journalists to check out AHCJ’s membership categories.
Under AHCJ’s new membership guidelines approved earlier this year, some, but not all, NAMC members could qualify for professional or associate membership. At the same time, the guidelines reinforce the prohibition on people who do public relations work or pitch stories to journalists.
AHCJ-National Library of Medicine fellows chosen
Six journalists have been named to this year’s class of AHCJ-National Library of Medicine fellows. The fellowship program was created to increase reporters’ access and understanding of the considerable resources available at NLM and the National Institutes of Health.
The fellows, selected from dozens of qualified applicants, will visit the NIH campus in September for hands-on workshops about how to use and get the most from several government research databases, such as PubMed, MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov and ToxNet. Fellows also will meet with senior NLM and NIH researchers and officials. 
The journalists chosen to take part this year are:
- Karla Gale, medical journalist, Reuters Health
- Jamie Hirsh, associate health editor, Consumer Reports
- Sally James, independent journalist, Seattle
- Sandra Jordan, health reporter, St. Louis American
- Hiran Ratnayake, health reporter, The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
- Miriam E. Tucker, senior writer, International Medical News Group/Elsevier
“We were very happy to be able to work with the Library of Medicine to offer this fellowship again this year,” said AHCJ Executive Director Len Bruzzese. “Last year’s fellows found the information and instruction very valuable in attempting and completing more complicated stories.”
Related
Heisel’s ‘Doctors Behaving Badly’ goes viral
Filed under: Health data, Health journalism, Hot Health Headline, Member news, Nursing
As anybody who follows the Reporting on Health blog knows, William Heisel’s virtual roadshow of physician background research has been gaining ridiculous amounts of steam lately. His Doctors Behaving Badly brand has taken on a life of its own, propelled by a Google Map he put together to place his findings into geographic context.
View Doctors Behaving Badly in a larger map
That geographic context has become the focus of his investigation, as Heisel has turned what was once a quirky little recurring item into a systematic, state-by-state way into how the public can check up on disciplined (or otherwise problematic) doctors. He’s almost reached the halfway point, and he’s reached some interesting conclusions. My favorite is that he doesn’t think states that have terrible sites with which to check up on doctors are being malicious, they’re just bad at making websites.
I think the problem lies in poor website design. A board starts with a simple site that allows people to see if a doctor has a valid license. Then that same board adds scanned documents from its disciplinary files, but instead of linking these two things together, it puts them in completely different parts of its site. When the board gets around to adding malpractice information or criminal histories, it layers those on top, too, instead of fully integrating them.
The effect is a stratified system of information that lets patients think their physicians have a clean history when, in fact, their records are simply too hard to find.
Heisel recently appeared on Fox News to explain what he’d found thus far.
On the whole, Heisel’s effort helps illuminate the power of my favorite online reporting tool: The progressively investigated database.
Blogging the first day of AHCJ boot camp
The Columbia Daily Tribune’s Jodie Jackson Jr., who is one of AHCJ’s Midwest Health Journalism Program Fellows, is blogging about this week’s AHCJ Health Reporting Boot Camp on his North County News blog. Jackson writes that, after day one, he’s already enjoying spending time in the company of other like-minded journalists and learning from some of the profession’s finest.
It was a good start to what promises to be a busy, information-packed week of learning new and honing old skills to provide more and deeper coverage of health care issues, or as Len Bruzzese put it, finding ways to create “a smarter, more engaged public,” and “hopefully a more responsive government.” Pretty heady issues, but Bruzzese seems in position to make that challenge.
The boot camp, which is designed for the eight Midwest Fellows and select students of Missouri School of Journalism, runs through Friday. Jackson promises that he’ll keep blogging as the week goes on, so check North County News (and Covering Health!) for updates.
AHCJ welcomes 11 new members
These journalists joined AHCJ last week:
- Alan Cassels, independent journalist; Victoria, British Columbia (@AKECassels)
- Chuck Kurtz, staff writer, Sun Publications; Overland Park, Kan.
- Valerie Lego, health reporter, WZZM-Grand Rapids, Mich. (@valerielego)
- Erin Marcus, independent journalist; Key Biscayne, Fla.
- Julia Paulus, editor/writer; Kansas City, Mo.
- Shanderia Posey, healthscene editor, The Clarion-Ledger; Jackson, Miss.
- Kelly Puente, reporter, Long Beach Press-Telegram; Long Beach, Calif.
- Cynthia Roby, independent journalist; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Joaquin Sapien, reporter, ProPublica; New York City
- Larry Seward, reporter, KSHB-Kansas City, Mo. (LOSewardII)
- Kimber Wallace, reporter, The Manhattan Mercury; Manhattan, Kan. (Kimburglar)
If you haven’t joined yet, see what member benefits you’re missing out on: Access to more than 50 journals and databases, tip sheets and articles from your colleagues on how they’ve reported stories, conferences, workshops, online training, reporting guides and more. Join AHCJ today to get a wealth of support and tools to help you.
Member’s book for nurses is published
“Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses,” written by AHCJ member Cynthia Saver, R.N., M.S., has been published by Sigma Theta Tau International. Saver is the president of CLS Development Inc., an editorial consulting firm.
Send us your latest news
Got a new job? Earned a promotion? Won an award or fellowship? Just published a book? AHCJ members are encouraged to share your news by sending it to info@healthjournalism.org. Member news items are published on Covering Health and in HealthBeat, AHCJ’s newsletter.
Sapien wins award for natural gas impact coverage
An investigation into the environmental impact of natural gas drilling, conducted by AHCJ member Joaquin Sapien and his ProPublica colleagues Abrahm Lustgarten and Sabrina Shankman, earned a second place, print, Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting in the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Awards for Reporting on the Environment.
Photo by arimoore via Flickr
In its announcement of the award, SEJ cited four particular entries in the extensive series (64 parts!), including Sapien’s “With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces an Onslaught of Wastewater.”
This exhaustive ProPublica series into the environmental impact of natural gas drilling on water resources raised public awareness of an important, but largely overlooked, environmental issue and helped to spur politicians to action. The methodical and well-written stories were easily understandable, neatly melding the human experience with the investigative paper chase. Importantly, the series exposed not just problems, but also pointed to solutions.
Welcome to AHCJ’s newest members
AHCJ welcomes these new members:
- Rodney Brock, independent journalist, The Patriot Observer; Louisville, Ky.
- Ceci Connolly, staff writer, The Washington Post; Washington, D.C., @postdailydose
- Emma Gallegos, staff writer, Los Angeles Daily Journal; Los Angeles
- Lin Grensing-Prophal, independent journalist; Chippewa Falls, Wis.
- Janet Lavelle, reporter, San Diego Union-Tribune; Oceanside, Calif.
- Kari Lydersen, independent journalist; Chicago
- David Pittman, independent journalist, Chemical & Engineering News; Washington, D.C. @David Pittman
- Lisa Price, independent journalist; Seattle
- Frank Sotomayor, independent journalist; Glendale, Calif. @FrankSotomayor
- Daniela Velazquez, online producer/multimedia reporter, TBO.com/Tampa Tribune/WFLA; Tampa, Fla. @lalav
If you haven’t joined yet, see what member benefits you’re missing out on: Access to more than 50 journals and databases, tip sheets and articles from your colleagues on how they’ve reported stories, conferences, workshops, online training, reporting guides and more. Join AHCJ today to get a wealth of support and tools to help you.
AHCJ member wins LA Emmy for PCOS coverage
AHCJ member Gerri Shaftel Constant of KTTV-Los Angeles earned her 10th Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for a three-part series on polycystic ovary syndrome, a female hormone disorder. The series profiled two women who suffer from PCOS, as well as a local physician who is a national pioneer in its management. PCOS is linked to obesity, acne, diabetes and facial hair growth, as well as numerous other associated symptoms. The series was titled “Hormone Nightmare,” and won in the “Medical News Story - Multi Report” category.
Send us your latest news
Got a new job? Earned a promotion? Won an award or fellowship? Just published a book? AHCJ members are encouraged to share your news by sending it to info@healthjournalism.org. Member news items are posted on Covering Health and in HealthBeat, AHCJ’s newsletter.
Health Journalism 2011 set for Philadelphia
Filed under: Health journalism, Member news, Studies
Put AHCJ’s annual conference on your calendar: April 14-17, 2011, in Philadelphia.
The program will include dozens of panels, field trips, newsmaker briefings, Freelance Pitchfest, world-class speakers, 2010 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism luncheon and a number of other special events. Expect sessions on covering health care, health research, public health, health policy, consumer health and the business of health.
Local and national planning committees have begun gathering conference ideas for review. The organization has negotiated a a discounted hotel rate of $149 a night at the Sheraton Society Hill.
More details will be available in the weeks ahead, but set these days aside now for the best annual training event in health journalism.
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Spend a week at the CDC studying public health, meeting sources. Apply for the AHCJ-CDC Health Journalism Fellowships today!
- Reporting on the intersection of health, environment
- Tip sheet: Covering cuts to Medicare reimbursements
- Briefing: Reporting on health reform between now and 2014
- Covering high-risk insurance pools: Tips for reporters
- Health care reform has passed: What's next?
- Health and education: Covering these intersecting beats
- Reporting on the business of health care
- Health reporting resources for journalists on state and local government beats
