Association of Health Care Journalists

Hiding in Plain Sight: Documenting the crisis in kids’ mental health
2022-05-25 01:00 (America/New_York)
At 3 p.m. CST on May 25, AHCJ will offer a special webinar on an upcoming two-part film, produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, on the crisis in children’s mental health.
The PBS film, “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness,” is an intimate examination of a crisis that the American Academy of Pediatrics called a public health emergency in 2021. The documentary is anchored by the anguished voices of 20 young people, ages 11 to 27, who live with mental health conditions, as well as parents, teachers, friends, health care providers in their lives, along with mental health experts with deep knowledge of youth mental health.
What makes the film required viewing for health care reporters is its unusually frank and direct discussion of mental health among young people, whose voices aren’t often heard in reporting on this topic. They talk about the stigma of mental illness, how they hid their challenges and how their own personal crises unfolded. The result is a film that should advance the public’s understanding and awareness of the crisis and what can be done to help young people.
Scheduled to air on PBS stations on June 27 and June 28, the films were directed by brothers Erik and Christopher Loren Ewers, longtime members of the Ken Burns team and award-winning filmmakers in their own right. They will join AHCJ core topic leader for mental and behavioral health Katti Gray for a webinar discussion about how they gained the trust and confidence of their film subjects. Two of the young people profiled in the film, Collin Cord and Makalynn Powell, will join the discussion. The webinar audience will also see a short, sneak preview of the film.
View the webcast
Erik Ewers
Christopher Loren Ewers
Collin Cord
Makalynn Powell
Katti Gray

About the filmmakers:
Erik EwersCo-Director and Editor
Erik Ewers has worked with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns for more than 30 years, including nearly all of his single and multi-episodic films. He serves as Ken’s senior editor and as co-director and editor of Ewers Brothers Productions, a preferred collaborative company in the co-creation of Ken’s films.
Erik has been nominated for more than seven personal and program Emmy Awards and has won one editing Emmy and three program Emmys, as well as two prestigious ACE Eddie Award nominations and one ACE win for “Best Edited Documentary of 2015.” Erik is an expert in all aspects of filmmaking, having served as music producer, writer, director, film producer, picture editor, and sound effects, music, and dialogue editor.
In 2015, Erik collaborated with Ken to create the two-hour PBS film The Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science, serving as producer, director and editor. Their partnership continues in an upcoming miniseries on America’s mental health crisis.
Christopher Loren EwersCo-Director and Director of Photography
Christopher Loren Ewers has been working behind the camera for over 20 years. He studied cinematography at Boston University and photojournalism at the New England School of Photography, and has traveled the world exploring the human experience through the lens. His eclectic work includes a variety of subjects, formats and collaborators, from national networks like NBC and PBS to Fortune 500 brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, and IBM and to nonprofit organizations like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Clinton Global Initiative.
However, it’s the unique mix of Chris’s film and journalism backgrounds that puts documentary filmmaking at the center of his work. His cinematography has been featured in each of Ken’s films since The Vietnam War.
Working with Ken as executive producer, Chris co-directed and served as Director of Photography on feature length documentary, The Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science, broadcast nationally on PBS in September 2018. He and brother Erik are currently co-directing a series of films exploring the mental health crisis, scheduled to air on PBS over a ten-year period beginning in 2022.

Antibiotic resistance: A looming public health crisis
2022-05-24 01:00
On Tuesday, May 24, Pew and The Hill will present a free virtual event examining the threats antibiotic-resistant infections, or ‘superbugs,’ pose for the future, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Superbugs result in millions of infections and thousands of deaths every year in the United States, and globally, these infections are approaching a dangerous high. Already, these infections kill nearly 1.3 million people annually — more than HIV or malaria. The event will feature insights from leading experts and policymakers, including Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA), sponsors of the PASTEUR Act — a bill that would make significant progress in combatting superbugs in the U.S.
Register here, and follow Pew’s antibiotic resistance project on Twitter for news and updates.

Reporting and Sourcing
2022-05-19 01:00
Gathering the information you need to tell your story can mean finding sources to interview, searching the medical literature, and digging through archives, databases or social media. In our May 19 Lunch & Learn, we’ll dig into reporting and sourcing stories. Whether you’re reporting a fast-turnaround news story or a juicy feature, you’ll come away with plenty of helpful info
When/Where: 1:00 p.m. ET, May 19. (virtual)
View the webcastMeeting ID: 961 8036 2044

Deadline approaches for Fund for Investigative Journalism grants
2022-05-09 01:00
The next deadline to apply for grants from the fund, which reviews applications three or four times a year is Monday, May 9, 2022. Grants can be as much as $10,000 to cover expenses of investigations, including travel, research and equipment rental. Recipients can request editorial and legal help as they work on their projects. Applicants must supply a letter of commitment from a news outlet agreeing to publish the proposed story.

The fund is looking for stories “that break new ground and expose wrongdoing, such as corruption, malfeasance, or misuse of power – in the public and private sectors.”

The fund website has more details about the application process.

Captivating your readers from the first sentence
2022-04-29 01:00
The National Press Club’s Journalism Institute is hosting this one-hour workshop on how to perfect ledes and nut graphs. The workshop will:

Deconstruct the difference between ledes and nut graphs
Identify common mistakes in crafting nut graphs
Offer solutions that help an inclusive community connect your journalism to their lives

Julie Moos, the executive director of the Journalism Institute, is the instructor. As the former managing director of news at McClatchy, Moos was responsible for coaching and training reporters and editors in 30 newsrooms.

When/Where: Friday, April 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. (Virtual)
Cost: $25 for the general public and $20 for National Press Club members
For more information and to register, visit this webpage.

Health Journalism 2022 - Austin, Texas
2022-04-28 09:00 - 2022-05-01 12:59 | Hilton Austin, 500 E 4th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701, United States
Felice J. Freyer, AHCJ board president

Some 500 people gathered in Austin, Texas, two weeks ago for AHCJ’s first in-person conference in three years. Based on my observations and every comment I received, it was a great success.

Trepidation about socializing after pandemic isolation? It evaporated. The usual high-energy collegiality pervaded the four-day conference, which featured two field trips, 47 panel discussions and workshops, two dinner receptions, and the annual awards luncheon.

Attendees listening to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure’s keynote address at Health Journalism 2022.(Photo by Paola Rodriguez.)

While attendance was lower than our last conference in Baltimore, which attracted 800 people, it was greater than expected considering high airfares and virus uncertainties. Although the precise number isn’t yet available, the conference seemed to have more first-time attendees than ever. They packed the room at the first-timers session on Thursday.

AHCJ’s signature event for freelancers, PitchFest, was fully subscribed, with 47 writers pitching their story ideas to 21 editors from 16 publications, including AARP, MindSite News, WebMD, and Kaiser Health News. “Writers and editors were enthusiastic, and we were all so happy to meet in person again,” Jeanne Erdmann, chair of the Freelance Committee, said.

AHCJ took steps to prevent COVID-19 transmission, requiring proof of vaccination and booster shots to enter the event. Masks were also required, and as far as I could tell, everyone complied.

It paid off. Only four people who attended the conference reported testing positive afterward – three attendees and the spouse of one of those attendees. That strongly suggests that there was little or no spread of the virus at this conference. Thanks to all!

Among the conference highlights:

The keynote speaker, Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, took open-ended questions from reporters for the first time, talking with us for about 40 minutes. Check out her full speech.

In a separate Q&A session, Robert Califf, M.D.,M.A.C.C., commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, made headlines with his observation that “misinformation is our leading cause of death.”

At a roundtable discussion during the luncheon, four experts in women’s reproductive health prepared reporters for the end of abortion rights in many states. Their prescient comments came just two days before the media would report that the Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a leaked draft of the decision.

Before the conference, AHCJ’s Board of Directors held its twice-yearly meeting, also happy to see each other outside the Zoom boxes. I finally got to meet our newest board members, Christine Herman and Sebastián Martínez Valdivia. The board heard updates about committee activities, finances (still strong), membership (holding steady) and the search for a new executive director (making progress). In a move that I suspect many members will welcome, the board authorized the staff to negotiate a contract to rebuild AHCJ’s antiquated website.

If you missed the event, certain sessions, or just want to refresh your memory, here are some resources:

The Covering Health blog featured reports of several of the sessions and a transcript of the roundtable about women’s reproductive health post-Roe.

A recording of Califf’s 45-minute conversation with patient safety core topic leader Kerry Dooley Young and Q&A with the audience.

The conference app, accessible to anyone who registered, contains many of the speakers’ presentations.

Many thanks to everyone who made the conference a success, including AHCJ’s ace staff, the speakers who traveled from afar to share their knowledge, and every conference attendee, who brought smart questions and hearty spirits to Austin.

See you next year!

Felice J. Freyer is AHCJ’s president and a health care reporter for The Boston Globe.

HOSTS

ENDOWING SPONSORS

SPONSORS

AHCJ conference in Austin, April 28-May 1
2022-04-28 01:00 - 2022-05-01 01:00
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Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will be the featured keynote speaker at Health Journalism 2022 in Austin.
The conference will be held April 28-May 1 at the Hilton Austin. The hotel is attached to the Austin Convention Center via a covered walkway — two blocks from East Sixth Street nightlife and less than a mile from the picturesque Rainey Street Historic District.
As the leader of CMS, Brooks-LaSure plays a key role in shaping the federal response to some of the nation’s most pressing issues in health care, including the continuing response to the pandemic. Addressing health inequities has also been at the top of her priority list. In her testimony tothe Senate Finance Committee in April 2021, Brooks-LaSure — the first Black woman to lead CMS — emphasized the need to “expand access to quality care for all communities.”
Two field trips were being planned to sites in Austin where innovations are happening in research, clinical and community environments, including:

The VISLAB at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, University of Texas, which creates visualizations to support research and presents them on one of the world’s largest high-resolution tiled displays.

Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned, innovative model community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. A development of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, this transformative residential program exists to love and serve people who have been living on the streets, while also empowering the surrounding community into a lifestyle of service with the homeless.

A collaborative treatment center at Dell Medical Center that illustrates how thoughtful design can change the patient experience.

A visit to the biomedical/biomechanical lab of Dr. James Sulzer at UT-Austin (recently profiled in The Atlantic magazine) where he and his team attempt to fill knowledge gaps related to stroke recovery and the development of new rehabilitation strategies.

Lone Star Circle of Care in Taylor, Texas, a community anchor and health hub that attempts to move as far upstream in the social determinants of health “river” as possible and create access to care for families along the continuum – from birth to older adults.

Field trips and workshops will be followed by a newcomer session, a kickoff plenary session, and a “Welcome to Austin” reception.
Panels, popular events and new features
This three-and-a-half-day conference will be packed with panels and workshops led by journalists and world-class speakers about a wide range of topics including:

New abortion laws and their likely impact on women’s reproductive health

The future of public health and pandemics – are we any better off today than we were in March 2020?

An extensive look at patient safety 10 years after the infamous “Dr. Death” case

How to cover the LGBTQ community

How research in medical science has been affected in some positive ways by the pandemic

Reframing gun violence as a public health issue

The quest for COVID-19 data: Where “official sources” fell short and others stepped in

The sex gap: How male-centric medicine hurts everyone

How to help your readers understand the “information blocking” rule and how it relates to patient safety

Hospital ransomware attacks: Why they’re happening and what can be done about them

The climate crisis, public health and deepening inequities

How to track “dark money” from Big Pharma.

The conference exhibit hall opens Friday, April 29, creating informal networking opportunities for attendees and the chance to win prizes. PitchFest — a conference favorite — will take place that afternoon. As always, attendees will be able to pitch story ideas to editors and walk away with assignments. AHCJ’s annual membership meeting is set for early evening on Friday.
Saturday, April 30, the final full day of the conference, will include several “how-to” sessions and the awards luncheon, which celebrates the best health care reporting.
On Sunday morning, May 1, after a session on reporter self-care, AHCJ core topic leader for infectious diseases Bara Vaida will lead a yoga session, so bring your mat and wind down before you head home.
Registrants unable to attend the conference in person will have access to some live-streamed events and sessions via the Whova app including, the opening night plenary session, the membership meeting, the awards luncheon and 10 panel discussions.

Call for ideas
AHCJ is gathering ideas for conference workshops and panels. Please submit suggestions before March 19.
Click here for your opportunity to submit ideas for consideration.

Sponsorship team

Hosts
University of Texas Dell Medical School
Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
St. David’s Foundation
Arnold Ventures

Endowing sponsors
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Sponsors
The Commonwealth Fund
Episcopal Health Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The John A. Hartford Foundation
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
New York State Health Foundation
Health Care Foundation of Western & Central New York
California Health Care Foundation
Missouri Foundation for Health
Colorado Health Foundation
Rhode Island Foundation
The JAMA Network
Millbank Memorial Fund
Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Webinar: Is it possible to have healthy people on a sick planet?
2022-04-19 01:00
This webinar features, Gary Cohen, president of Health Care Without Harm and a pioneer in the environmental health movement for more than 35 years. Cohen has helped build coalitions addressing health impacts related to climate change and toxic chemical exposure. Health Care Without Harm, created in 1996, works to transform the health care sector to be environmentally sustainable.
Sponsor: The Hastings Center, an ethics research institute
Speaker: Gary Cohen, president, Health Care Without Harm
Date: April 19, 2022
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: virtual
Cost: free
Register: https://tinyurl.com/bdzcuzzv

Aging-in-place technology: challenges and trends
2022-04-06 01:00
SAVE THE DATE: April 6, 1 p.m. ET
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to aging in place. When the challenges older adults face are not adequately addressed, that person either lives with a lot of risk or is forced out of the place they’d prefer to live. Health technology is the answer for some. But there are challenges, including privacy issues, cost and useability. Our expert panel will lay out some of the issues that arise as families try to support a parent’s desire to age in place. We’ll also look at one demo project that could help and highlight some of the latest tech trends that health reporters should have on their radar.
View the webcast
Leslie Kernisan
Jeffrey Kaye
Laurie M. Orlov
Liz Seegert
Karen Blum

Leslie Kernisan, M.D., M.P.H., is a practicing geriatrician and the founder of the popular aging health website and podcast BetterHealthWhileAging.net, which she created to help families and older adults learn better ways to manage aging health challenges. She is also a clinical instructor in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics. Dr. Kernisan has a special interest in the practical problems families encounter while assisting aging parents, including how to help them age-in-place. She has been running “Helping Older Parents” online courses and group coaching programs since 2018, and is the author of the book, “When Your Aging Parent Needs Help: A geriatrician’s step-by-step guide to memory loss, resistance, safety worries and more.”

Jeffrey Kaye, M.D., is the Layton Professor of Neurology and Biomedical Engineering at Oregon Health and Science University. He directs the Oregon Center for Aging and Technology, the Oregon Roybal Center for Care Support Translational Research Advantaged by Integrating Technology, and the NIA-Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at OHSU. He leads or has led several longitudinal studies on aging and clinical trials including: Intelligent Systems for Detection of Aging Changes, the ORCATECH Life Laboratory, Ambient Independence Measures for Guiding Care Transitions, and the Collaborative Aging Research using Technology Initiative studies, all using pervasive computing and sensing technologies for assessment and interventions. He is listed in Best Doctors in America. He serves on many national and international panels and boards in the fields of geriatrics, neurology and technology. He is an author of over 400 scientific publications and holds several major grant awards from federal agencies, national foundations and industrial sponsors.

Laurie M. Orlov, a tech industry veteran, writer, speaker and elder care advocate, is the founder of Aging and Health Technology Watch — market research, trends, blogs and reports that provide thought leadership, analysis and guidance about health and aging-related technologies and services that enable boomers and seniors to sustain and improve their quality of life. In her previous career, Laurie spent many years in the technology industry, including nine years at analyst firm Forrester Research. She has spoken regularly and delivered keynote speeches at forums, industry consortia, conferences, and symposia, most recently on the business of technology for boomers and seniors. She advises large organizations as well as non-profits and entrepreneurs about trends and opportunities in the age-related technology market. She has a graduate certification in geriatric care management from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s in music from the University of Rochester. Laurie has been named one of the Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue and one of the women leading global innovation on age tech 2020.

Co-moderator Liz Seegert (@lseegert), is AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. Her work has appeared in NextAvenue.com, Journal of Active Aging, Cancer Today, Kaiser Health News and other outlets. She is a senior fellow at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University and co-produces the HealthCetera podcast.

Co-moderator Karen Blum is AHCJ’s core topic leader on health IT. An independent journalist in the Baltimore area, she has written health IT stories for publications such as Pharmacy Practice News, Clinical Oncology News, Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News, General Surgery News and Infectious Disease Special Edition.

2022 Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism
2022-03-31 01:00
Calling all AHCJ members who have written compelling stories about the business of health care. The Gerald Loeb Awards are the most prestigious honor in business journalism in the United States. Individual journalists and media outlets can submit entries in 12 competition categories and nominations will also be accepted for two career achievement honors, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lawrence Minard Editor Award.
Entries must have been published or broadcast in the United States during the calendar year 2021.
Sponsor: UCLA Anderson School of Management and the G. and R. Loeb Foundation
Deadline: Thursday, March 31 by 11:59:59 Pacific Time
For more information, visit this webpage.

Transgender teens and gender-affirming care: What reporters need to know
2022-03-28 01:00
SAVE THE DATE: March 28, 1 p.m. ET
As multiple states introduce legislation related to the care of transgender children and teens, it’s becoming an even more important health care issue to cover, especially when so few people understand transgender health care or what gender-affirming care actually is.
View the webcast
Slides:Legislative overview (898 KB .pdf)Joshua Safer (791 KB .pdf)
Join us for a webinar with two experts, Dr. Jason Rafferty, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist who authored the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for gender-affirming care in children and adolescents, and Dr. Joshua Safer, a member of the Endocrine Society who serves as the Executive Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in New York.
Learn what gender-affirming care involves, how hormone therapy works, how many teens actually receive hormone therapy, the short-term and long-term risks and benefits of hormone treatment, how fertility preservation works, common pitfalls and errors in transgender health care reporting, and the various misconceptions that exist about gender-affirming care before adulthood.
You’ll also hear from an Endocrine Society representative who will review the confusing legislative landscape on this topic and leave with a list of websites, source recommendations, and other resources for reporting on this timely hot button issue.
Dallas Ducar
Jason Rafferty
Joshua Safer
Tara Haelle

Dallas Ducar is the founding CEO of Transhealth Northampton. Prior to assuming the CEO position, Dallas served as the Clinical Lead for Mental Health Services at the Massachusetts General Hospital Transgender Health Program, where she worked with an interdisciplinary team to provide novel gender-affirming care. Dallas worked to develop pathways for all patients to receive psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and surgical assessments for life-saving interventions. Dallas is on faculty at Columbia University, Northeastern University, University of Virginia School of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Nursing, and the MGH Institute for Health Professions. She serves on the Board of Directors for GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and of Healing Our Community Collaborative (HOCC). She also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Primary Care Alliance and is on the LGBTQI Federal Policy Roundtable.

Dr. Jason Rafferty is a board certified child psychiatrist and pediatrician at Thundermist Health Centers, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island. He is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and obtained post-graduate training through the Triple Board Residency at Brown University. The Triple Board is a combined program in pediatrics, general psychiatry and child/adolescent psychiatry. He has additional degrees from Harvard University in public health concentrating on maternal and child health, and education focused on adolescent development and psychology. He is involved with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), frequently reviewing policy and publications related to LGBTQ health. He was recently the lead author of the AAP’s policy statement, “Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents.”

Joshua Safer is the executive director of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery in New York City and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Safer was the inaugural president of the United States Professional Association for Transgender Health (USPATH). Dr. Safer serves as medical curriculum lead for the Global Education Institute (GEI) of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and has been a scientific co-chair for WPATH international meetings. Dr. Safer is a co-author of the Endocrine Society guidelines for the medical care of transgender patients, the transgender hormone treatment sections for UpToDate, the current transgender medical care review in the New England Journal of Medicine and the current review of transgender medical care in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Safer graduated medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completed residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, and completed fellowship in endocrinology at the Harvard-Longwood program based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

How COVID-19 Has Changed Healthcare Communications
2022-03-24 01:00
During the pandemic, scientists and public health officials struggled to communicate. Join former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, Pfizer’s Global Head of Communications, Ed Harnaga and Wall Street Journal Reporter Jared Hopkins for a conversation on successful and unsuccessful communication approaches during COVID-19 pandemic, and how these lessons can help us address broader health issues moving forward. The panel will be moderated by Raul Damas, Partner and Healthcare Co-lead at the Brunswick Group.
When: 11:00 a.m. ET, March 24, 2022 (webinar)
To register, visit this webpage.

Resumés for Freelancers
2022-03-23 01:00
It can be difficult to figure out how to format a resumé if you are a freelancer and have many clients. This one-hour program will walk you through how to make your resumé an effective marketing tool.
The speaker is Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, co-author of the Editorial Freelancers Association’s “Resumés for Freelancers: Make Your Resumé an Effective Marketing Tool … and More” booklet.
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
When/Where: 3:45 p.m. Eastern Time, March 23, 2022 (Online)
Cost: Free
To register, visit this webpage.

Taking the Pulse of Clinical Trials
2022-03-17 01:00
Keeping track of clinical trials is a Herculean task, as millions of changes occur each year.
STAT Trials Pulse is a new clinical intelligence platform can help, allowing users to seamlessly keep tabs on the trials they care about, and find actionable insights that can drive a company’s strategic and financial direction.
Join experts at STAT for a discussion about how to use this new tool, developed in conjunction with Applied XL, to make sense of clinical trials data.
When/Where: 1pm Eastern Time / 10am Pacific Time, Thursday, March 17 (Virtual)
For more information and to register, visit this webpage here.

Is Pitching Worth the Effort?
2022-03-17 01:00
Join AHCJ for this week’s Lunch and Learn get-together where you’ll learn how to determine how much effort to put into your pitches. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow freelance journalists.
When/Where: 1:00 p.m. ET, March 17. (virtual)
View the webcastMeeting ID: 961 8036 2044

The Therapeutic Promise: Neuroprediction, Risk, the Violent Brain
2022-03-04 01:00
Journalists interested in the intersection of science and criminology should attend this free seminar, sponsored by the Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology at the University of Washington, on the use of neuroscience to identify potential criminals. Oliver Rollins, an assistant professor of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington will explore the promise and pitfalls of the construct he calls the “violent brain” and the under-examined danger of using neuroscience to predict violence.
When/Where: 12:30 -1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, March 4, 2022 (virtual)
Speaker: Oliver Rollins, a qualitative sociologist who works on issues of race/racism in science and technology. Author of “Conviction: The Making and Unmaking of The Violent Brain”
Cost: Free
For more information, visit this webpage.

Addressing suicide disparity in rural communities
2022-02-23 01:00
This webinar, hosted by the Mental Health Technology Center Network, is mainly for mental health providers, but is open to the general public.
When: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. MT, Feb. 23 (online)
For more information and to register, visit this website.

Deadline: USC Center for Health Journalism 2022 California Fellowship
2022-02-22 01:00
The University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism is offering a California Fellowship to support reporters “as they pursue ambitious, enterprising projects on overlooked health and health equity issues,” according to the center’s website. Admitted Fellows will receive a $2,000 stipend to defray reporting costs, one week of extensive training and five months of professional mentorship.
This fellowship is open to California-based professional journalists, including freelancers, from the smallest rural newspapers to national outlets. Preference is given to journalists with a minimum of three years of experience and reporters pursuing collaborative projects between mainstream and ethnic news outlets.
Sponsor: University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism
Training dates: April 18-22, 2022
Application deadline: February 22, 2022, at 11:00 pm
Check out the organization’s website for more information.

Using Academic Research to Keep Politicians Honest: A Free Online Training Session for Journalists
2022-02-17 01:00
This 50-minute training session sponsored by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, will show reporters and editors how to use academic research studies to hold governments and politicians accountable and to fight disinformation. Topics to be covered include:

How to tell good studies from questionable ones.

The best places to find the best research.

The dos and don’t’s of explaining study findings to your audience.

Tips for applying findings to the specific issue or community you’re covering.

Where journalists on deadline should look to find the “golden nuggets” in lengthy research articles.

Moderator: Denise-Marie Ordway, managing editor of center’s The Journalist Resource
When/Where: 12:00 p.m. ET on February 17, 2022 (virtual)
Cost: Free
For more Information, check out this webpage. To register, visit this website.

Lunch and Learn (Virtual)
2022-02-17 01:00
Join AHCJ for next week’s Lunch and Learn get-together where you’ll learn how to apply for grants and fellowships. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow freelance journalists.
When/Where: 1:00 p.m. ET, Feb. 17. (virtual)
View the webcastMeeting ID: 961 8036 2044

Reporting on the care and costs of diabetes
2022-02-16 01:00
SAVE THE DATE: Feb. 16, 1 p.m. ET
High costs for doctor’s visits, medications and supplies force many diabetes patients to forgo or delay routine care. Patients and lawmakers have expressed outrage at the rising price of insulin, which Type 1 diabetes patients must take their entire lives and is sometimes required to keep Type 2 patients’ disease under control. Last month, the National Clinical Care Commission endorsed limiting insulin price increases to the rate of inflation.
Experts in the care and costs of diabetes will debate the need for a more comprehensive approach to this deadly disease and outline some of the ways the U.S. health care system can make care for patients with diabetes more affordable.
View the webcast
Karen Van Nuys
Ted Doolittle
Sanjoy Dutta
Estelle Everett
Joseph Burns

Karen Van Nuys, Ph.D., focuses on funding in the pharmaceutical supply chain and the effect of commercial practices such as copay coupons and copay clawbacks on the cost of prescription drugs. Her work has been published in leading journals in economics, medicine, finance and health policy. In addition to her work at the USC Schaeffer Center, she is also a research assistant professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy.

Ted Doolittle is an attorney and former federal prosecutor who has had a long career in health care, legal practice and law enforcement, including service as the Deputy Director of the Center for Program Integrity at federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS). In this role, Doolittle had oversight of Medicare and Medicaid health care fraud investigations and was responsible for leading the implementation of a variety of programs under the Affordable Care Act.

Sanjoy Dutta, Ph.D., is the chief scientific officer at JDRF where he oversees all of JDRF’s efforts to cure Type 1 diabetes, including beta cell therapies, immunotherapies, glucose control and complications. Before joining JDRF in 2009, Dutta was the associate director of translational medicine and clinical biomarkers at Bristol-Myers Squibb and principal scientist of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at Hoffmann-La Roche.

Estelle Everett, M.D., is an endocrinologist and health services researcher at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Her research involves addressing the barriers to care among patients with diabetes, inequities in diabetes care and outcomes and the disparities in access to diabetes treatment for vulnerable populations with Type 1 diabetes. She completed medical degree at UCLA and then completed her Internal Medicine residency and Endocrinology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.

Hospital CEO compensation: Why are they paid so much?
2022-02-15 01:00
Feb. 15, 1 p.m. ET
The nonprofit Lown Institute will host a webinar about the compensation paid to chief executives of hospitals. Join health care experts as they discuss what’s behind the recent trends in hospital CEO pay and how we can better align executive compensation with hospitals’ social mission. Speakers include:

Shannon Brownlee, co-creator of the Lown Hospitals Index. Brownlee was senior vice president at Lown from 2012 to 2021. She is the author of “Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.”

Merrill Goozner, who served as editor of Modern Healthcare from 2012 to 2017. He now writes and edits GoozNews, an online newsletter.

Vikas Saini, M.D., president of the Lown Institute. He is a clinical cardiologist trained by Bernard Lown M.D., at Harvard. Saini leads the Lown Hospitals Index, the first ranking to measure hospital social responsibility.

Alan Weil, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, a leading journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. For the previous decade he was the executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.

For more information and to register, visit this webpage.

COVID-19 and the Future of American Public Health
2022-02-10 01:00
Bloomberg Philanthropies is hosting a live update on the COVID-19 pandemic with Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries; Vivek Murthy, M.D., Surgeon General of the United States; and Kelly Henning, M.D., Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health Program Lead.
Following opening remarks from Michael R. Bloomberg, Henning will talk to Murthy about COVID-19 developments, including the post-Omicron landscape. They will also discuss the stress of the pandemic on the U.S. health care system and health care workers, on children’s mental health, and the rising deaths from drug overdose.
When: 1:00-1:30 pm ET, Thursday, February 10 (Virtual)
Go to this link to register.

AACR report on the impact of COVID-19 on cancer research and patient care
2022-02-09 01:00
Feb. 9, 2022, 1 p.m.
Please join the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for a virtual congressional briefing to release the AACR Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Research and Patient Care. This report will describe the significant impact the pandemic has had on patients with cancer and the field of cancer research; highlight how cancer researchers have responded to the challenges posed by COVID-19; and document lessons learned during the pandemic that can be used to improve cancer research and patient care moving forward.
Speakers for the briefing will include Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), AACR CEO Margaret Foti, AACR Past President Antoni Ribas, and Ana María López of Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and Jefferson Health New Jersey. The briefing will also feature a live panel discussion with survivors of cancer whose stories are included in the report.
Webinar registration …

2022 Virtual Cancer & Aging Symposium
2022-02-03 01:00
More Americans 65 and older are being diagnosed with cancer. This symposium hosted by the University of Florida Health Cancer Center will delve into current transdisciplinary research in cancer and aging, bringing together scientists and advocates from across the nation working to accelerate work in this field.
When/Where: 1:30 p.m-5:30 p.m. Thursday, February 3, 2022
Cost: Free registration.
To learn more, visit the organization’s website.

Variants, Vaccines and Medications: What journalists need to know to improve coverage
2022-01-27 01:00
The Knight Center has joined forces with UNESCO and WHO to offer an opportunity for journalists around the world to improve their coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of science journalists, scientists and other experts will offer a three-hour webinar to help journalists cope with the evolving COVID-19 crises coverage. The webinar will also address ways to combat disinformation.
When: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT, Thursday, Jan. 27.
Check out this website to register.

Successful aging at home: what reporters should know
2022-01-26 01:00
SAVE THE DATE: Jan. 26, noon ET
Nearly 90% of older adults want to remain in their home or community as they age, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Aging at home, or in the community, can help reduce health costs and improve outcomes. But it also requires more affordable housing, additional home and community services, better integration of these supports in the health system, and advanced planning by seniors and their families to create a safe, suitable environment. For some, it may also mean finding a different community-based solution.
Webcast panelists will discuss “aging in the right place,” what it means for the future of health care, and what older adults and families can do now to get ready for the future.
View the webcast
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Katelyn Jetelina
Joshua Schiffer
Liz Seegert
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Stephen M. Golant, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida (Gainesville) and was earlier associate professor at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the housing, mobility, long-term care, and technology needs of older adults. Dr. Golant is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Fulbright Senior Scholar award recipient. In 2012, he received the Richard M. Kalish award from the Gerontological Society of America in recognition of his insightful and innovative publications on aging and life development in the behavioral and social sciences. Dr. Golant has written or edited more than 140 papers and books. His latest book, Aging in the Right Place, was recently published by Health Professions Press.

Krithika Srivats is the SVP of Clinical Practice and Product Innovation for HGS AxisPoint Health, an HGS Company, having served in the role for over 11 years. She is an accomplished, driven and results-oriented healthcare professional with 25 years of diverse experience in patient care, strategic disease management in the field of Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and healthcare technology and integrated solutions in medical management and population health management. As an occupational therapist, Krithika believes in holistic person-centric care, which is reflected in all facets of her approach to solutions and issue resolution. Kritika’s key accomplishments include setting up first of its kind day care and specialized dementia care in India, USA and WA, working closely with the local health departments, and the centers of excellence. Her focus on functional independence to building resilience has been translated in the innovative products and aging in place solutions.

Andrea King Collier is an award-winning journalist and author based in Lansing, Mich. Collier has been writing about health and health policy issues for the past 20 years. In the last few years she has also cast her eye on food and food systems. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Lansing State Journal and the PostTribune. Her work appears regularly in Essence, More, Ladies Home Journal, Woman’s Day, O, the Oprah Magazine, Real Health, Heart Healthy Living, Heart Insights, the National Medical Association Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, AARP Magazine, More, and others. She is the author of two award winning books, The Black Woman’s Guide to Black Men’s Health, and Still With Me… A Daughter’s Journey of Love and Loss.

Moderator: Liz Seegert, AHCJ topic leader/aging

LPS Conservatorship Meeting
2022-01-22 01:00
Laws regulating when a person with mental illness can be admitted to a psychiatric hospital vary by state, but commonly set a high bar for proving that someone needs to be committed. The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Los Angeles chapter is hosting a virtual mentoring meeting about state’s laws regarding what’s known as conservatorship; other states call it guardianship.
When/Where: 1:00 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 22 (Zoom)
For more information and to register, visit the organization’s website.

Lunch and Learn (Virtual)
2022-01-20 01:00
AHCJ’s Freelance Committee is starting up a monthly series of informal Zoom sessions intended to build skills and community. These Lunch and Learn get-togethers will take place at 1 p.m. ET every third Thursday. Each session will focus on a specific skills-building theme. No slides, just informal meetups where we can spend time together and learn from one another. Sessions will not be recorded or archived.
Join us for the first Lunch and Learn on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. ET where we’ll talk about how to plan work for the year, including some overlooked areas where you can generate income.
Join the webcastMeeting ID: 961 8036 2044

IAPHS Research to Action Seminar Series
2022-01-20 01:00
This webinar series addresses four issues that affect population health scientists who wish to conduct public facing science. Following each webinar, there will be small group discussions focused on specific skills

January 20, 2022:Communicating research through print/broadcast media Small Group Discussion: Writing an op-e
March 31, 2022: Making research actionable for state & local policymakers Small Group Discussion: Writing a policy brief
July 21, 2022: Bridging research with community practice Small Group Discussion: Developing a community engagement plan
October 20, 2022: Securing funding for applied research Small Group Discussion : Developing a concept proposal or a set of specific aims.

All webinars will be held Thursdays at noon Eastern time.
Visit the organization’s website for more information and to register.
