PRSA Health Academy Conference on Unique Communication for Boomer, X'er and Nexter Generations and Minorities

NEW YORK (March 27, 2008) - The 2008 PRSA Health Academy Conference offers participants unprecedented opportunities to discuss health care media coverage with communications professionals and journalists. The Conference will be held in Chicago at the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, April 2-4.

"Chicago offers access to editors of the nation's top medical journals," said Garland Stansell, Conference chair. "Conference participants will learn from those who are making critical decisions on how health care news is covered today, as well as future media directions."

Pre-Conference Seminar
A pre-Conference seminar will address the many complexities of covering medical/scientific and health policy research and news in top medical journals, and will feature Catherine DeAngelis, M.D., and Phil Fontanerosa, M.D., executive and deputy editors of JAMA and the Archives journals, respectively. They will review policies and processes for inclusion, maintaining credibility and working with embargoes. Another session, covering media coverage of published journal articles, will be led by Jann Ingmire, JAMA's director of media relations. A panel examining how journalists cover journals, use outside resources and experts, and work with public relations professionals will round out the seminar.

Panelists include:

• Giovanna Breu, freelancer, People and Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine; former People bureau chief
• Tom Burton, Wall Street Journal
• Katharin Czink, WGN-TV and Cable Superstation
• Karen Spingen, Newsweek

Conference Speakers
At the Conference itself, speakers include two national journalists whose years of experience promise valuable insight into how media cover health care. Jane Brody, New York Times personal health columnist and author, kicks off the conference with her personal perspective on how healthy lifestyles relate to the state of health care in America today. She has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows throughout the United States and has received numerous prestigious awards for journalistic excellence.

Jonathan Karl, ABC News senior national security correspondent, will speak on how political elections and candidates impact health care and health care policy. Karl's vast experience includes covering two presidential elections and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and moderating the series, "Sustaining Democracy," on America's changing political landscape. Karl has reported for "World News Tonight," "Nightline," and "Good Morning America." He was awarded the National Press Foundation's Everett McKinley Dirksen Award, the highest honor for congressional reporting.

Additionally, representatives from Chicago-based national media outlets will discuss special challenges in addressing African-American, Asian, Hispanic, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender consumers. The session, hosted by the PRSA Multicultural Communications Section, will provide an up-close and interactive experience with journalists who will share tips on planning strategies to address these important and growing constituencies.

For more information about the Health Care Academy Conference, "Boomers, Xers and Nexters: Communications in a Cross-Generational/Cross-Cultural Landscape," on April 2-4, or to register for the Conference, visit www.healthacademy.prsa.org.

About the Health Academy
Tracing its roots to focused health-care-related activities within PRSA as early as the 1970s, the Health Academy was formed in 1989 to promote excellence in communications and an educational dialogue across the entire health care industry for the professional enhancement of its members. The Academy is not an advocate for any medical or medically related industry position, issue or focus, but offers its members an opportunity to address the latest issues facing health care public relations and the health care industry. Members of the Health Academy represent organizations across the widest spectrum of health care-related activities.

About the Public Relations Society of America
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters nationwide and 19 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 294 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.