Jonathan M. Mann Memorial Lecture

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Jonathan M. MannMemorial Lecture

• William Schaffner, MD
• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• and
• Tennessee Department of Health
• Public Health and the Media
• Teaching for Health

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Tennessee State Epidemiologists

• 1970s 1990s Dr. Robert H. Hutcheson, Jr.
• 1990s Dr. Kerry S. Gately
• Laurel H. Wood
• Dr. William L. Moore
• 2000 Dr. Allen S. Craig
• Dr. Timothy Jones

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Jonathan M. Mann, MD, MPH 1947-1998
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Jonathan M. Mann, MD, MPH

• 1969 BA Harvard
• 1974 MD Washington University, St. Louis
• 74-75 Internship
• 75-75 EIS New Mexico
• State Epidemiologist, Asst Dir DPH
• 80 MPH Harvard
• 84 Kinshasa, Zaire
• CDC AIDS
• Project SIDA

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Jonathan M. Mann, MD,MPH

• 1986 WHO Global Programme on AIDS
  First Director
• 1990 Harvard School of Public Health
• 1997 Allegheny University of the Health
  Sciences
• School of Public Health

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Manns Principles

• Focus on prevention
• Respect for human dignity
• Universal human rights
• Empowerment of women
• Political stability and social advancement
  require improvement of population health

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Manns Methods

• Dashing
• Personally modest
• Eloquent
• Intellectually rigorous, forceful presentation
• Practical
• Indefatigable

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(No Transcript)
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Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse learned of Dr. Edward
Jenners smallpox vaccination technique As the
ordinary mode of communicating even medical
discoveries in this country is by newspaper, I
drew up theaccount of the cow pox, which was
printed in the Columbian Centinel March 12, 1799
1799
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Believe nothing that you see in the newspapersif
you see anything in them that you know is true,
begin to doubt it at once. Sir William
Osler Aphorisms
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National Health Council Poll, 1997
Primary source of health news Television 40 D
octors 36 Magazines 35 Newspapers 16
Internet 2
93 !!
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NHC Poll, 1997
Attention to medical and health
news Moderate 50 Great deal 25 Had
changed behavior or taken some action as result
of medical/health story 58
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For the general public, the media are the major
form of continuing education after formal
schooling is complete
Lawrence K. Altman, MD EIS 63
NY Times
Ann NY Acad Sci 1993703200
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For the general public, the media are the major
form of continuing education after formal
schooling is complete Thus, a teaching
opportunity
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For the general public, the media are the major
form of continuing education after formal
schooling is complete Thus, a teaching
opportunity
Often our ONLY teaching opportunity.
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The Media

• Print Newspaper, Magazines
• Broadcast Television, Radio
• Internet outlets
• Media targeted to the general public
• professional groups
• Local vs. National

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Opportunities with the Media

• Media call Public Health
• They have a question, need an expert to comment,
  explain, put into perspective
• They already are interested they need your help
  with the story
• Public Health calls the media
• We have a story to tell health hazard, new
  program
• We have to capture their interest we need their
  help with the story

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Communicating AccuratelyButWith Different
Approaches
Medical/Scientific Journalistic

• Lecture
• Large words
• Prepared audience
• Controlled message
• Data
• Abstract
• Harmony
• Conditional statements
• Step-wise advances

• Brevity
• Small words
• Naïve reporter
• Provocative, skeptical
• Personal stories, anecdotes
• Pictorial
• Conflict
• Create polarities, absolutes
• Breakthroughs

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Their Game, Their Ball

• Need your opinion NOW!
• They choose quote (sound bite)
• Sorry, you cant edit before publication
• Newspaper reporter does not write the headline
  indeed may not review their own text before
  publication

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You Can Influence the Rules

• Learn about the reporters, the stories they do
• Agreement on types of questions you do and dont
  care to address
• Be prepared, be succinct, do not guess at answers
• The interview is not a pop quiz

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Single OverridingCommunications ObjectiveSOCO
Focus your message
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SOCOs(No more than 3)

• What is new?
• Who will be affected?
• What does this mean to the average person?
• What is the bottom line?

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SOCOs

• No Matter what question you are asked, come back
  to your SOCOs (bridging)
• Keep repeating your SOCOs
• Thus, control of the interview shifts to you

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Media Reports Matter

• AIDS activists influenced research funding and
  stimulated faster evaluation of new drugs
• Spinach contaminated with E. coli O157-H7
• Thimerosal in vaccines linked
• to autism?

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Falsehood flies and the truth comes limping
after so that when men come to be undeceived it
is too late the jest is over and the tale has
had its effect. Jonathan Swift 1710
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Ma KK et al. Pediatrics 2006117e157.
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Knowledge
Attitudes
Behavior
Teaching
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Scientist Latin, scientia knowledge One who
creates knowledge Physician Greek, (physic)
medicinal herb One who treats disease
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Scientist
Latin, scientia knowledge One who
creates knowledge
Physician Greek, (physic) medicinal herb One
who treats disease
Doctor Latin, docere, to teach One who teaches
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Dashing Modest Eloquent Intelligent Practical Inde
fatigable In the service of social equity
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(No Transcript)