Top Health Communicators and Journalists to Discuss Industry Issues and Innovation at Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and RJI Dedication Celebration

CDC, NIH Communicators and Health Journalists Participate in Interactive Discussions

Columbia, Mo. (Aug. 29, 2008) -- In a world where online health information is at the public's fingertips, issues of accuracy, ethics and responsibility in health communication and reporting are integral to planning for the industry's future. Several of the nation's top health communicators and journalists will tackle such issues Sept. 11-12 at the Futures Forum and Technology Summit, two keynote events of the Missouri School of Journalism's centennial celebration and dedication of the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Sept. 11, 2008, Futures Forum

On Sept. 11, the Futures Forum session "Delivering Vital Health Information to the Public" will delve into the complicated roles of journalists, sources and citizens in an era of unprecedented access to health information. Discussion leaders for the session are John T. Burklow, associate director for communications and public liaison at the National Institutes of Health; Glen Nowak, chief of media relations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Susan Dentzer, editor in chief of the health policy journal Health Affairs; and Mike Stobbe, health reporter for The Associated Press. The 2 p.m. session is sponsored by the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Lecture Series at the Missouri School of Journalism.

Also on Sept. 11 will be an overview of an innovative research lab at the School that can study the effectiveness of certain health-related campaigns, among other topics. The School's PRIME Lab (Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects) has studied responses to anti-smoking and other campaigns by measuring physical reactions such as heartbeat and facial movements. The lab's lead researchers will be on hand at 12:15 p.m. to discuss the promising future of psychophysiological research and be available after the session to answer questions and to discuss specific research needs.

On Sept. 12, two entrepreneurs at the Technology Summit will present innovations with the possibility to improve health communication. At 10 a.m., Jane Stevens, a Fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, will present open-source news templates that have the potential to not only provide information, but also solve problems in the health and science communities. At 11:20 a.m., Scott Danielson will present ANNA, the code name for a technology and health care start-up that promises to build a better healthcare operating system.

Alumni, students, citizens, journalists, communicators and academics from all over the world have registered for the three-day event, which will feature the more than 35 Futures Forum sessions, 27 Technology Summit sessions, 11 exhibits and displays, four musical and theatrical performances, two evening meal events, book signings, tours and numerous networking opportunities. Visit http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/ for more information.

Session-Specific Details:

Reporting on Public Health Concerns to be Addressed by Industry Leaders Public relations officers from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will join journalists and other industry experts for "Delivering Vital Health Information to the Public," a session of the Sept. 11 Futures Forum during the School's centennial/dedication celebration. Participants will look into the complicated but vital issues that surround communicating health information in a technological world in this session, sponsored by the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Lecture Series. [More]

Researchers to Showcase the Psychology of Powerful Media Messages Media professionals involved in research or content production will want to attend this Sept. 11 Futures Forum session highlighting research-based insights into the psychology of powerful media messages. Join the co-directors of the Missouri School of Journalism's PRIME Lab (Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects) to gain a practical understanding of how the human mind processes media content based on cutting-edge research conducted in the lab. The session, This is Your Brain on Media: Producing Media for the Mind in a Digital Age, is part of the Sept. 11 Futures Forum, one of several exciting events planned for the School’s Sept. 10-12 centennial/dedication celebration. [More]

Customer Engagement Innovator to Present "Connective Digital Healthcare" Can building a better healthcare operating system make us healthier? This session, part of the Sept. 12 Technology Summit, promises to show that it can with a presentation by Scott Danielson, founder of ANNA, the code-name for a technology and healthcare start-up. Participants will examine how the forces of technology, media, medical science and social demographics can come together as Health 2.0. The Tech Summit, part of the centennial/dedication celebration, is an action-packed exhibition of the ideas, trends, tools, technologies and companies that are leading the way into 21st-century journalism. [More]

New Reynolds Fellow to Present Web-Centric Journalism Network Jane Stevens, a 2008-2009 Fellow of the Reynolds Journalism Institute, will present a session Sept. 12 to introduce open-source news templates that have the potential to help solve health and science problems in communities. She is one of several inaugural Fellows who will present research at the Sept. 12 Technology Summit, part of the School's centennial/dedication celebration. [More]

Latest Centennial/Dedication News Available on 2008 Web Site

The 2008 Web site is the one-stop resource for the Sept. 10-12, 2008, centennial of the Missouri School of Journalism and dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Updates are continually added to the event schedule, frequently asked questions, hotel and travel information, reunion planning resources, alumni news, historical timeline and more. Find out more about this extraordinary event at http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/.