Located in the “Meet Our Heroes” section of the website, the article recounts the many ways Salomon has contributed to her company.  She has become a leader in employee wellness; a considerable accomplishment considering that Bemis is comprised of 78 facilities in a dozen countries.

Read more about Trish Salomon and her work here.

SHS first launched the initiative with a live Q&A panel on campus. However, the discussion continues online with a blog “Ask the Sexpert.” Students also have ongoing access to free sexual health supplies through a campus delivery service known as the “Condom Fairy.”

Read more about BU’s sexual health communication initiative here.

Adjoa Adofo
Communications Director U.S. House of Representatives
2012 Graduate of the MSHC program

Boston University Office of Distance Education follows the life of Master of Science in Health Communication Masters Candidate Adjoa Adofo, who balances school with a career on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Adjoa is able to find time for her coursework despite a demanding and ever-changing work schedule.

A specialist in biopharmaceutical marketing and corporate communications, Michael Durand has been responsible for market preparation, launch and ongoing public relations for many landmark medicines including Aranesp and Vectibix for Amgen, Taxol and Glucophage for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Vytorin for Merck/Schering-Plough.

In addition to product marketing assignments, Michael has counseled clients in regulatory affairs and in public affairs issues affecting the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He has also conducted corporate branding and issues management programs for Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and other health care enterprises.

Currently Michael is an independent public relations and marketing communications consultant working on payer evidence and corporate communications programs for health care clients.  Previously he was managing director of health care strategy and planning at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Prior to joining Ogilvy, he was the founding director of Porter Novelli’s Global Health Care Practice.

He is the 2008 recipient of the Frank J. Weaver Lifetime Achievement Award of the Health Academy of the Public Relations Society of America.

1. Why did you choose to pursue a graduate degree in Health Communication?
Though I have more than 25 years of health care communications experience under my belt, over the past several years I’ve realized that there is much more to learn than I could ever tackle simply via on-the-job education. The Health Communications program at Boston University has given me the opportunity to explore very complex problems in public communications in an organized and thorough fashion. Furthermore, the exchange between myself and professors and fellow students has helped challenge my assumptions and beliefs in a very positive and thoughtful manner.

2. Who is your current employer and what is your job title?
After decades working for health care public relations agencies, I flew the safe coop and established my own practice, working as an independent consultant for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Now my time is my own, but I have to be far more accountable for how I spend that time.

3. In which industry is your organization and what products or services do you offer?
Primarily I am advising companies on messaging—how to most effectively communicate with the publics that they serve. I am also helping advertising and public relations agencies on business development and helping them win new clients.

4. What are some of your responsibilities?
My responsibilities include a whole lot of writing, researching and meeting with clients, to help advance their corporate objectives.

5. What is most rewarding, personally and professionally, about being a health communication professional and why did you find these experiences so rewarding?
Learning has always been important to me and I have found that a career in health care public relations and marketing communications is a constant learning experience—with each new client or engagement I am expected to fairly quickly learn about medical conditions, stakeholder attitudes and beliefs and the client’s competition. There’s not a day that goes by without learning some new and fascinating aspect of medicine or marketing. To me, this is extraordinarily rewarding.

6. What have you gained from the MSHC program that will prepare you for a career in health communication?
The MSHC program amplifies what I’ve been doing in the commercial sector and has added valuable new aspects to my job. For instance, the theories of health behavior that I learned in the Health Communications class have helped me better understand the consumer audiences that I am working with in my practice. Similarly, the “new rules of marketing and PR” coming from Professor Quigley’s class have been extraordinarily useful in developing public relations plans for my agency clients.

7. What are some of the benefits and challenges of the online learning experience?
Undoubtedly one of the benefits of online learning is the interaction with other students. The great thing about this program is that my fellow students aren’t simply cut from the same cloth. They come from literally every corner of the world and their interests and expertise is in every aspect of health communications, from nutrition education to product marketing to public health education. This potpourri of expertise truly enriches the program.

8. Which of the MSHC course have you enjoyed the most to date and why?
This isn’t a fair question, because each class has offered new learnings and challenges. If pressed however, I’d have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the science-oriented classes such as Biology of Disease and Introduction of Epidemiology since these were so different from what I typically am exposed to and offered true challenges.

9. How has the relationships with your fellow classmates from the MSHC program benefitted you?
My fellow students are the glue that has kept the program together. They have been terrific since they come from such varied backgrounds and have such a wide range of believes.

Degrees: MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business; MS & BS, Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana

Courses: Media Relations (MET HC 758)

Professor Sullivan is a new faculty addition but well known to the Boston University Master’s in Health Communication Program serving as a lead facilitator and facilitator since the program was launched, working on over two dozens courses. He brings over 15 years experience in Distance Education working on multi-media content design and development for both online and satellite broadcast courses.

He has worked in television production on children’s programming, news and freelance production in a variety of roles from director to stage manager and crew member. He combined his television production background with a Master’s in Advertising from Boston University which led to his current career as Director of Communications for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners Continuing Care based in Boston. Tim oversees external and internal communications and public relations for 6 inpatient facilities, 23 outpatient centers and a Harvard Medical teaching affiliate.

In his eight years in healthcare he has led major marketing and public relation campaigns in a variety of disease areas such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. Tim has worked with regional, national and international media outlets of all media channel types from the Boston Globe to CNN and Al Jazeera on a wide variety of stories such as launching treatment programs for returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan to the humanitarian efforts to treat Libyan war wounded. Tim has also spear-headed media efforts for major multi-site research publications and the opening of the first new hospital in Boston in over 40 years.

Tim has also led major community public health events from a lead role for 6 years for the Partners HealthCare/7News Free Health and Fitness Expo which averaged 70,000 attendees to smaller community events with a variety of partners such as the Boston Pops, American Heart Association, Partners with Youth for Disabilities, Massachusetts Health and Human Services, US State Department, New England Patriots and Revolution, Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox. Tim has a passion for advocacy for the community with disabilities and works on several events and publications per year to promote awareness especially for youth with disabilities

Areas of Interest:

Advocacy and Awareness for the Community with Disabilities
Social Media Impact on Public Relations

Recent Presentations:

New England Society of Healthcare Communicators Webinar Series
Snap Shot of an International Media Event: Libyan War Wounded
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Presented by Tim Sullivan, Director of Communications for Partners Continuing Care

This presentation will review the planning and media execution for a major international media event at a small community based rehabilitation hospital. Spaulding Hospital North Shore in Salem, Mass was selected by the US State Department as the first facility in the US to treat Libyan War wounded delivering on a promise by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The first group arrived in October 2011 for approximately 3-6 month stays and generated more than 500 media hits over that time.

Massachusetts Hospital Association
Symposium for Human Resource Professionals
May 2011
“Being More Social” – Engaging Your Staff Through Social Media

Advice for New Students: Be bold and believe in yourself. If you have a goal in mind, just go for it. Also, cherish the relationships you make with your classmates; many times they’ll be your connection to new careers and adventures

Carolann Martines is a writer at Winthrop-University Hospital, who majored in English from Adelphi University on Long Island and had been working full time for two years when she decided to further her education with a master’s degree.

Her reasons for choosing to pursue a master’s degree in Health Communication were as much personal as they were professional. Aside from a desire to deepen her knowledge of healthcare, marketing and public relations and to develop writing and communication skills, there was an incident involving her mother that further motivated Carolann to advance her career as a health communicator.

When Carolann’s mother’s mammogram indicated dense tissue she was advised by the physician not to be concerned. She was concerned and insisted on an MRI which showed she had breast cancer that required surgery. If her mother had not advocated for herself, the cancer would have spread, and she may not be here today. Carolann’s mother is a nurse and had the advantage of knowing how to navigate the healthcare system to demand the MRI, but for many other patients not familiar with the system, this may not be the case. After this incident, Carolann decided to develop her skills and her knowledge to help people make more informed decisions about their health and to give them the tools they need to advocate for themselves.

1. Current employer:
I am a Writer in the Department of Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations at Winthrop-University Hospital on Long Island. I am responsible for developing various communications that help to promote hospital programs and services. Through press releases, brochures, website content, and other communications materials, I inform the public about the hospital’s latest medical technologies, innovative treatments, and the results of Winthrop’s cutting-edge research. My main responsibilities include conducting extensive research, interviews, writing and editing for press releases as well as our community magazine medical staff newsletter, and employee newsletter. I solicit news from hospital administrators, physicians and other clinical staff and work with them to develop compelling stories for the public and the media.

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a health communicator is knowing that what I write can help others take charge of their health. By taking complex medical information and developing it in a way that the community can understand, my goal is to help people become more informed about their options and make better decisions about their health.

My favorite part of my job is working with patients to help them tell their stories. When patients have life-saving and life-changing experiences with the hospital, I interview them and their physician and write an article for our community publication or a press release. It’s often a cathartic experience for the patient as they tell their story from start to finish, and these patients find comfort in knowing that they can help other people who are going through similar experiences. I enjoy working with patients, helping them tell their stories, and knowing that these stories might prompt someone else to get the help they need at our hospital.

2. Career impact of health communication program:
Since the Master of Science in Health Communication is a specialized program for health communicators, everything I have learned from my very first day of class has directly applied to my job and has helped me grow in my position. In particular, the amount of science that we learn has really improved my ability to communicate. One of the most interesting parts of this program is that while we are learning and being tested on scientific information, our assignments and discussions are directly applicable to our careers. In Epidemiology, we learned not only how to define and calculate scientific data, but also how to critically evaluate that data and how to communicate the results of scientific research to our audiences in a meaningful, straightforward way. This has enabled me to become a more well-rounded health communicator and to help the public better understand important healthcare issues.

3. Benefits and challenges of online learning experience:
I have found the benefits of online learning to far outweigh the challenges. Online learning is not for everyone – you need to be organized, dedicated, and in charge of your own experience when you study in an online environment. It truly is what you make it. For me, online learning gives me the freedom to study wherever and whenever it was convenient for me. One of the best parts of online learning is that all of the Professor’s live lectures are recorded. This has helped me tremendously for my science classes, because I can replay the lectures as many times as I need before taking an exam. BU’s professors are completely dedicated to their online students. They do everything they can to make our learning experience positive, interactive, and challenging.

4. Favorite course:
Two classes stick out in my mind. The first is Contemporary Public Relations with Professor Steve Quigley. Professor Quigley is a wonderful professor who is passionate about his subject and truly cares about each of his students. His assignments, readings, and exams all provided me with knowledge and skills that I could use immediately – I was able to apply everything I learned in his class from the very first day to my current job. Professor Quigley’s ideas about communication and public relations changed the way I write and think about my work.

The second is Epidemiology with Professor Wayne Lamorte, a remarkable professor who made this complex subject accessible and engaging. Professor Lamorte taught me how to read public health studies with a critical eye, and helped me develop the skills to communicate the results of these studies to the public. Although it was the most difficult class I’ve taken in the program, it was also the most rewarding.

5. Value of relationships formed during program:
I was not expecting to make such strong connections with my classmates in an online program. But I have found that BU’s Health Communication community is a very close online community – we all enjoy communicating with each other!

Although the program is very focused, we had a diverse group of students – nutritionists, nurses, dental hygienists, writers, journalists, public relations professionals, and more. We learn so much from each other because each member of the program brings a unique perspective. It has been so important for me, as a public relations professional, to engage in meaningful conversations with journalists, bloggers, and clinical healthcare professionals.

My classmates are an invaluable source of support and encouragement. Their passion and dedication to health communication is inspiring.

Jamie is a May 2011 graduate of the Boston University Health Communication program. Originally from the metropolitan Chicago area, Jamie lives in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her professional experience is based entirely in health care and includes management consulting, pharmaceutical sales, and marketing communications. She currently works at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as a Project Manager in the marketing department and at the Foundation of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a nonprofit health insurer, as a Communications Specialist. She is also a course facilitator for the Health Communication program.
In addition to her interest in health care, Jamie is fascinated by how technology is changing our lives particularly in the field of communication. She is active on numerous social networks including Linkedin, Twitter and Google+. She is also a featured blogger on HealthWorks Collective (http://www.healthworkscollective.com) an editorially independent, moderated community for thought leaders in international healthcare.

1. Current employer:
I currently work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as a Project Manager in the Marketing Department. I provide marketing support for the Neurosciences and Women’s Health Centers for Clinical Excellence. In this role I work with members of the clinical departments to develop marketing programs designed to generate patient referrals from community physicians throughout the greater New England area.

I also work one day a week at the Foundation of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a regional health insurer. As communications consultant, I have helped the Foundation formulate their online communications strategy and redesigned their website.

Being a health communications professional allows me to combine my interests in health care, marketing communications and technology to make a positive impact on community and individual health.

2. Career impact of health communication program:
The Master of Science in Health Communication enhanced my career in health care by both broadening and deepening my knowledge base. Health Communication courses like Biology, Epidemiology and Nutrition deepened my existing knowledge of health care while classes like Biomedical Ethics, Introduction to Health Communication, Interactive Marketing and Introduction to Media Relations introduced me to new concepts. This wider and deeper skill set has helped me in both of my current positions. For example, at Harvard Pilgrim I have used concepts from Interactive Marketing in the redesign of the Foundation website. Introduction to Health Communication has also been invaluable in understanding how to communicate effectively about Foundation initiatives such as their childhood obesity program or their expertise in training health care professionals to become culturally competent.

At Brigham and Women’s Hospital I apply concepts from Marketing and Interactive Marketing courses in designing effective communications in both online and offline mediums. Interaction with physicians is also an important part of my position. Courses like the Biology of Disease help me to communicate with them more effectively and confidently with this audience.

3. Benefits and challenges of online learning experience:
While online learning lacks the face to face interaction of bricks and mortar courses, this did not prevent me from cultivating substantive professional relationships with current and former students as well as faculty members. I have maintained these relationships since graduation. A benefit of online learning is greater flexibility in managing your time. While the courses are not self-paced, you can complete your course work from any location where you have an internet connection.

4. Favorite course:
I enjoyed the range of topics covered throughout the Health Communication program. Among my favorites was Introduction to Health Communication, a course I have just finished facilitating as well. A highlight of this class is the creation of a comprehensive health communication plan. The plan, a capstone project of the program, is an outstanding opportunity to synthesize and apply course concepts to create a document that addresses a current health problem or crisis.

5. Value of relationships formed during program:
I have benefitted greatly from relationships formed during the program. The varied experience of my classmates encouraged me to view and understand health care issues from new perspectives. I have also maintained many of my relationships with fellow classmates since graduation. I meet with Boston based alums regularly. I have also met alums at professional conferences and stay in touch via social networks, including BU’s Facebook community for Health Communication alumni and as well as its Linkedin group. Recently, I collaborated with a former classmate to publish an article in the Journal of Communication in Health Care.

My former classmates have also been an ongoing source of excellent information related to health communication. They have also been a good source of information on career guidance. In addition to receiving an excellent education from Boston University I gained an invaluable professional network of health communicators.

Meeghan is a 2012 graduate of the Boston University’s Master of Science in Health Communication program. Professionally, she has extensive experience in marketing, having worked for 18 years in executive positions at a $100 million privately held company. Meeghan left the company and joined a non-profit organization where mission was equally as important as margins and the bottom line. She currently serves as the Senior Director of Communications, Marketing & Technology for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), and oversees all communications, marketing, public relations, social media, web, media relations and membership functions for AMSA.
Meeghan wanted to augment her marketing background as it applies to the health care industry and considered returning to school for a master’s degree. She looked at two programs and Boston University’s Master of Science in Health Communication combined her areas of interest. It only took one month from research, application to acceptance to the start of her first class.

1. Current employer:
I serve as the Senior Director of Communications, Marketing & Technology for the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). I oversee all communications, marketing, public relations, social media, web, media relations and membership functions of the Association. AMSA is the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for physicians-in training. Our mission is to inspire a community of medical and premedical students through education and advocacy.
It’s because of the AMSA members that led to my research into a master’s program in health communication. I’m fortunate to work with some of the most intelligent, talented, caring future doctors. Working with medical students, hearing their hopes and concerns about patients, health equity, access to care, and a myriad of other subjects; I wanted to be credible on the health issues, the policy issues affecting our country, and I wanted to take my extensive experience in marketing and communications and marry that with health care.

2. Career impact of health communication program:
I had a pretty extensive background in marketing so for me, the opportunity to get the rigor of an MS degree meant that the science would be present and that was important to me. I needed and wanted to gain the language of health care, to understand how the health care system works, flaws and all. Conceptually people go to the doctor, but I don’t think the average person is looking holistically on how all the parts of our health system fit together. This program provides a deep understanding of that.
Professionally, I’m excited to be in a career field that is intellectually challenging, creative and blends both the science of health with the art of writing and communicating. It speaks to both my interests. It also helps that health communication is a relatively new and growing field which will only continue to expand.
I feel personally fulfilled because I want to do work that allows me to “do well by doing good.” Having a sense of purpose personally that aligns with my professional goals is how I want to live my life. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to achieve this balance.

3. Benefits and challenges of online learning experience:
The online learning experience does not mean that you are alone in a room with no support, that couldn’t be further from the truth, but it does indeed require self-discipline, a willingness to learn some new technology tools and to be resourceful. While the learning is on your own time, it’s not on your own schedule. There are deliverables nearly every other day, so it does challenge you to absorb a lot of material quickly. But your classmates, facilitators, professor and the BU staff are terrific in helping you to organize your calendar.
Clearly one of the best advantages to online learning is that the course material is available to you at all hours, so if you are an early bird or night owl you can access what you need, when you want it. And if you can’t make it to a particular live online class or conference call there are always archive recordings which is helpful with a geographically dispersed class.

4. Favorite course:
My first and one of the toughest course was Epidemiology, but I just loved it. I don’t think I’ll ever hear about an outbreak of a disease and not think about the epidemiology significance. This class helped me to understand the public health implications of tracking disease. And, of course, I was so fortunate to have Dr. Wayne LaMorte, BU’s award winning professor. Dr. LaMorte is truly the epitome of an extraordinary teacher. He certainly helped those of us who have not had math in a long time to apply it in a scientific way.
The US Health Care System with Dr. Pauline Hamel was also a particular favorite. Among many things, Dr. Hamel taught me about the social determinants of health, health equity and health campaigns. This class really moved me as I began to look at the under-served in our society and the absolute crisis condition those without access to quality health care endure.

5. Value of relationships formed during program:
An unexpected outcome of this program is the wonderful relationships and community that is built with other classmates who hail from all parts of the world with diverse backgrounds and work experiences. Without realizing it, you develop rich meaningful relationships where you cheer on and champion your colleagues. My classmates have become friends and professional contacts. The generosity, desire to learn and to make a difference in this world is an enduring legacy that exists between current students and program alumni. These relationships are a gift to me which I treasure.

The conference offers skills-building workshops, panel discussions, and visits to area research sites.

Dates: March 14 – 17, 2013.
Location: Seaport Boston Hotel and the adjacent Seaport World Trade Center.

To find out more, visit the link below
http://healthjournalism.org/hj13

Stephen Quigley, a faculty member and coordinator of Boston University Master of Science in Health Communication (MSHC) online program, authored and co-edited two chapters of Managing Corporate Communication: A Cross-Cultural Approach.  This book consists of current corporate communication scholarship from Europe with professional best practices from the U.S.

Professor Quigley is an Associate Professor of Public Relations at Boston University’s College of Communication.  He is also a PR consultant whose work is concentrated in the areas of media relations, public affairs, community relations, and crisis management.  He has provided strategic counsel and created public relations campaign for a broad range of national and international clients.  Professor Quigley teaches MET CM 756 Contemporary Public Relations course in the MSHC program.

Visit the link below to see Professor Quigley’s bio.
http://healthcommunication.bu.edu/stephen-quigley/