News Advisory

Reporters and Editors are Invited to Apply for 2008 "Medicine in the Media" Course

Medicine in the Media:
The Challenge of Reporting
on Medical Research

May 5-7, 2008
Hanover, New Hampshire

Apply online: http://medmediacourse.nih.gov
Deadline: February 29, 2008

About the Course
Now in its seventh year, the National Institutes of Health is pleased to present a free annual training opportunity to help develop journalists' ability to critically evaluate and report on medical research. The course curriculum builds on the best of prior years' offerings to create an intensive learning experience with hands-on application.

The course examines the challenges and opportunities inherent in communicating the results of medical research to the public. Stressing an evidence-based approach and re-examining intuitive beliefs about medicine, the course will prepare participants for the crucial task of evaluating research findings including statistics, selecting stories that hold meaningful messages for the public, and placing them in the appropriate context.

For an overview of the course, please visit http://medmediacourse.nih.gov.

There is no cost for the course, and meals and lodging are provided. Participants are responsible for their own travel to Hanover, NH.

Who Should Apply
We invite application by journalists and editors whose primary target audience is the general public. Applicants may produce news stories about health or healthcare for newspapers, magazines, or newsletters; television or radio; or on-line media. Participants should be eager to develop skills and knowledge necessary for good medical science reporting, but need not have specific experience or background in medical journalism.

For Additional Information

Presented by
Office of Medical Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health
Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth Medical School
VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, Vermont, Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of Communication and Public Liaison, National Institutes of Health

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.