Journalists: Apply for a Free Health Research Training Workshop to be held on August 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Apply by July 23, 2021.
Are you a journalist or medical writer who wants to better understand health research? Would you like to attend a free Workshop that will provide training as well as potential copy on groundbreaking new research on diagnostic tests and treatments for breast cancer, pain, anxiety, and other major medical issues?
Research aimed at improving treatments and prevention can be complex, and new research showing promising results can generate inflated claims and unrealistic hopes. The media plays a key role in cutting through the hype and translating the complexities, ensuring that news about important research reaches and is understood by those who would most benefit.
In order for the media to fill this role most effectively, researchers and medical writers/journalists need to communicate clearly with each other. Unfortunately, not all researchers are adept at communicating their research findings to the media, nor do all medical writers and journalists have the knowledge of research design, statistics, and related issues to fully understand what new studies can and can’t conclude, or whether a new treatment has benefits that outweigh the risks.
Thanks to an award from the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute® (PCORI®), the National Center for Health Research is hosting the second of two Health Research Training Workshop on August 6, 2021 to help bridge that gap. The National Center for Health Research is a non-profit, independent think tank focused on effective and affordable health care, and does not accept funding from companies making products that we evaluate. PCORI® is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. The term “patient-centered” refers to results that matter most to patients, such as living longer, spending less time in the hospital, and having a better quality of life.
The Health Research Training Workshop will bring together medical writers, journalists, medical experts, and groundbreaking researchers to help them communicate more clearly with each other, and enable writers to communicate with their audiences. You’ll learn from researchers at the nation’s best universities; medical experts from the National Institutes of Health and major medical schools; and past and present well-respected journalists from NYT, NPR, AP, and WSJ.
- You will learn about new research on which prevention strategies and treatments are most effective for improving patients’ health.
- You will learn how to evaluate the quality of new studies and how to reconcile conflicting results and conclusions.
- You will learn the pros and cons of clinical trials, pragmatic trials, real world evidence, and other types of medical research.
- You will network with medical experts, researchers, journalists, and writers who want to improve communication between researchers and journalists/writers.
- Workshop faculty include award-winning journalists and nationally-respected researchers.
- The workshop is free and breakfast, lunch, and Happy Hour are included.
- Scholarships are available for travel expenses and hotels for those living at least 40 miles away.
- Workshop training certificates will be provided upon completion.
If you are a journalist or medical writer who wants to improve your understanding of new research comparing the effectiveness of various treatments and prevention strategies, and to network with medical experts and researchers from major medical schools, email Asher at wp@center4research.org to express your interest by July 23.
About the National Center for Health Research
The National Center for Health Research is an independent, nonprofit think tank focused on medical and public health issues, and does not accept funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies. This workshop is funded by a Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award (8598-NCHR).
P.S. As a healthcare nonprofit, we are following CDC protocols and also requiring proof of vaccination to attend.
