BWHers Lend Their Expertise for Annual Health Care Journalism Conference
BWHers, including Bohdan Pomahac, MD, present at the Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference, held in Boston this year. |
This year, the Association of Health Care Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues, held its annual conference in Boston.
The four-day conference, for which BWH was a sponsor, featured skill-building workshops, field trips, panels and symposia on everything from health reform and rising health care costs to mental health, global health and end-of-life issues. Approximately 750 writers and reporters from near and far buzzed around the Seaport World Trade Center, eager to absorb tips from clinicians, investigators, technology experts and other health care professionals. BWH physicians and researchers were among the presenters, along with veteran journalists, all sharing insights about the best ways to cover many current health issues and challenges.
Jerry Avorn, MD, chief of BWH's Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics Division, participated in a morning panel on Friday, March 15, about reporting on medical and financial conflicts of interest. Bill Churchill, MS, RPH, chief of Pharmacy Services, discussed drug shortages-an issue he and his Pharmacy team have successfully overcome this past year-for a panel on focused on compounding pharmacies.
Later the same day, BWH's Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, MASc, of Bioengineering, spoke about his regenerative therapy research during a panel about the promises of replacement medicine, while Bohdan Pomahac, MD, director of Plastic Surgery Transplantation, shared transplant patient success stories.
Saturday, March 16, saw continued participation from BWHers, including Gad Marshall, MD, associate medical director of clinical trials for BWH's Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment; Robert Green, MD, MPH, director of BWH's Genomes2People Research Program; David Bates, MD, MSc, chief of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care; and Andrew Ellner, MD, MSc, a practicing internist at BWH. They shared insight about earlier Alzheimer's treatment, personal genomics, provider reactions to medical errors and the future of primary care, respectively.
Staff from BWH's Communication & Public Affairs team also participated in the conference, sharing information about the hospital and external media opportunities with journalists from around the country.