Med school communications office wins four national awards

The medical school’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs earned four national awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for work produced in 2017.

A photo in Stanford Medicine magazine won a silver award. Brian Smale’s photo of Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, professor and chair of ophthalmology, accompanied a story about Stanford’s efforts to combat vision loss. “The juxtaposition of the soft image through the glass and the sharp focus on the eye was dramatic and interesting,” the judges for CASE’s annual Circle of Excellence Awards wrote.

The magazine earned one of two silver awards for periodical staff writing (the other silver award went to Stanford Magazine). Judges said the Stanford Medicine magazine stories were “highly readable from a non-specialist’s perspective, and we noted how well the articles spoke to a wide range of audiences from physicians to policy makers to the general public.” They also said the writing "did a good job of showcasing the school’s research strengths and demonstrating how Stanford Medicine is addressing challenging and timely issues in the medical field." The magazine’s editor is Rosanne Spector.

The five stories in the staff-writing entry were:

• “Of mice, men and women,” by Krista Conger, published in the spring 2017 issue, which examined efforts to embrace and account for sex and gender differences in research.
• “Transgender,” by Erin Digitale, also published in the spring issue. The story featured a family that shared its experiences of having a transgender child and included commentary by caregivers who discuss their approach to working with such children and their families.
• “Two minds,” by Bruce Goldman, also published in the spring issue. The story explored the question of whether the brains of men and women are wired differently.
• "The fearful eye,” by Goldman, published in the summer issue. The story described how researchers are using frightening virtual reality experiences  to understand the neuroscience of fear.
• “No place to call home,” by Digitale, published in the fall issue. The story focused on how a growing number of pediatricians are addressing the social problems, such as difficulties in finding an affordable place to live in the expensive Bay Area, that have a direct bearing on the health of their young patients.

A video that accompanied the magazine story about transgender youth received a bronze award in the news and research category. Video director Mark Hanlon produced the video, which told the story of a transgender teen and his family. “The video frames Dani’s struggles and joys as part of the broader issue of gender research and care of transgender patients for which Stanford Medicine is at the forefront,” the judges wrote.

The news releases produced by the office received one of two bronze awards in the research, medicine and science news writing category. Judges said the releases “are compelling examples of scientific advancements being made that inform and impact the general public. The writing explained highly technical research in a way that is understandable and appealing to lay readers.” The news releases were edited by John Sanford.

The news releases in the entry were:

• “Study finds first possible drug treatment for lymphedema,” by Tracie White.
• “In northern humans, evolution favored shorter bones,” by Conger.
• “Small drop in measles vaccinations would have outsized effect,” by Digitale.
• “Regular marijuana use linked to more sex,” by Goldman.
• “Neuroscientist Ben Barres dies at 63,” by Goldman

CASE is a professional organization for those in the fields of communications, alumni relations and development at educational institutions. It includes more than 3,600 colleges, universities, and independent elementary and secondary schools in 82 countries. To recognize the best work in these fields, CASE sponsors its annual Circle of Excellence Awards.