Seattle to Host International Health Communications Conference

Seattle, Washington – The 46th Annual International Conference on Healthcare Communication, sponsored by the Health and Sciences Communications Association (HeSCA) has chosen Seattle as the host city for its 2005 conference. The dates for this impressive event are June 1-4, 2005. The conference will give attendees the opportunity to learn the latest technical aspects of media production and delivery as well as addressing the challenges of providing leadership in a creative environment constrained by dollars, pounds and yen. There will also be a vast selection of workshops and lecture sessions for communications professionals throughout the course of this four-day event. The conference brings together leaders from North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim at a time when international healthcare initiatives are flourishing. HeSCA President Keven Siegert says “This is a critical time, both in healthcare communication and communication technology in general. HeSCA's strength is providing advanced educational opportunities to the people at the forefront of communications technology, and conference networking enables participants to generate strategies for the future."

Greg Nickels, Mayor of Seattle says “As the world becomes more dependent on technology, communication professionals play an increasingly vital role in our healthcare system. The health and science communication profession serves a great need by developing important informational and instructional media for our evolving health sciences industry. Seattle is honored to have HeSCA as our guest.”

Conference co-chairs, Charles Lenosky of Creighton University (Omaha) and Jim Barrett (Seattle) are excited about bringing their colleagues to Seattle. Lenosky adds, “HeSCA is comprised of some of the best biomedical media producers in the world. Our conferences have been of the highest caliber, hosted by cities such as Orlando, Dallas and Phoenix. Having said that, Seattle has a fantastic reputation for hosting international visitors to our city and our organizing committee looks to exceed every expectation.”

The conference features a full day on Production Solutions to Internet Challenges, with presentations from internationally known experts on topics ranging from search engine optimization to Internet Resources from the National Library of Medicine. The day’s keynote speaker, Steve Mack, has spent the last eight years at the forefront of the streaming media industry. Principal and founder of LUX Media as well as an accomplished author, he wrote The Streaming Media Bible for Hungry Minds (published Spring 2002), the defacto standard text on the subject. Steve Mack has produced some of the largest and most prestigious Internet broadcasts, including U2 live from Notre Dame, President Clinton's Inaugural address, and the first ever public live Internet broadcast of a Seattle Mariners game in 1995. Mack says, "Streaming media is no longer the new kid on the block - it's finding its way into more and more industries, and health care is no exception. Organizations such as the Mayo Clinic are expanding their streaming media infrastructures dramatically -- the quality, convenience, and cost savings all make streaming an integral part of their operations. We'll take a look at the hows and whys of streaming media, and look at some of the latest streaming applications in the health industry." The day concludes with sessions on building customer loyalty, and business planning for support service departments.

The final day features sessions on Internet Usability and Optimization, beginning with keynote speaker Shari Thurow, a sought-after speaker and trainer on the topics of search engine–friendly web site design, web copywriting, and link development. This will be followed by a pot pourri of healthcare related presentations, featuring presenters from across the United States. Besides presentations on distance learning and scriptwriting – the day also features a variety of 20 minute “quicktalks”. HeSCA’s International Media Festival Awards dinner and dance conclude conference activities on Saturday night.

Current HeSCA President-elect Bill Peters (Winnipeg, Canada) will be installed as president during the 2005 meeting.

Background on HeSCA – The Health Sciences Communications Association

HeSCA has a strong, nearly half-century history as a professional association and began as the Council on Medical Television in 1959. With the integration of technology into health care education and information delivery, HeSCA continues to meet the needs of professionals working in this evolving environment. For much of its history the membership has worked in the field of medical education, but during the 1980’s, with the changing structure of healthcare delivery, employee training and communications became a part of the career responsibilities. In the 1990’s and continuing today, many HeSCA professionals find their careers shifting towards medical marketing. The specialties within healthcare communications are many and can focus by subject or technology; all are addressed by the professional development opportunities found during the conference.

For more information on HeSCA as well as regular updates on the Conference Program, go to:

www.hesca.org

The HeSCA 2005 46 th Annual International Conference on Healthcare Communication receives support from the following:

Sustaining Members
DeSales University
Vistacom, Inc.

Institutional Members
Albany Medical College
Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Creighton University
Enforme interactive, Inc.
Envision, Inc.
George Washington University
Kaiser Permanente
Lehigh Valley Hospital
LSU Medical Center
LSU School of Medicine
National Library of Medicine
TAMU College of Medicine
U. C. Davis
Univ. of North Dakota School of Medicine
Univ. Virginia Health System
University of Sheffield
University of South Florida
University of Tennessee, Memphis
University of Wales College of Medicine
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

As an association of communications professionals, HeSCA is committed to sharing knowledge and resources in the health and science arenas. The foundation for our network is built upon our unique membership which has created opportunities for unlimited exchange of information and support. The Health and Science Communications Association is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.