Medicine in the Media: The Challenge of Reporting on Medical Research
May 5-7, 2008
Hanover, New Hampshire

Applications are now being accepted.

The application deadline is Friday, February 29, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. eastern time.

About the course

Now in its seventh year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pleased to present this free annual training opportunity to help develop journalists' ability to evaluate and report on medical research.

Faculty includes prominent experts from the fields of medical research and health journalism. Additional information can be found in the 2007 course agenda.

Course content

The course examines the challenges and opportunities inherent in the process of 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 interpreting and evaluating research findings, including statistics, selecting stories that hold meaningful messages for the public, and placing them in the appropriate context.

Applicants

Space is limited and will be competitively awarded for the 2008 course. There is no cost to participants, but priority will be given to credentialed, working health journalists in the mass media. Attendees 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.

Registration and information

The 2008 Medicine in the Media course will be held in idyllic Hanover, New Hampshire, bordering the Dartmouth University campus. Participants will be staying at the Hanover Inn, a charming and historic university-owned hotel. Additional information is available at http://www.hanoverinn.com.

Accommodations and meals will be provided for this year's Medicine in the Media attendees, and there is no fee for the course. Participants will be responsible for covering travel costs to Hanover, including ground transportation to and from the airport.

Please feel free to pass this information along to colleagues who may be interested. If you have any questions, please write to us at medmedia@od.nih.gov.

For additional information regarding the course agenda, faculty, lodging, FAQ's, and links, please visit http://medmediacourse.nih.gov.

On-line applications can be accessed by visiting http://www.meetinglink.org/medmediacourse.

Medicine in the Media is presented by Office of Medical Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health; Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth Medical School; and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, Vermont, with additional support from Office of Communications and Public Liaison, National Institutes of Health.