“Through dissemination of effective messages, we have been able to position AANS and its members as authorities on treatment of disorders affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.”
-AANS Executive Director
Thomas A. Marshall
AANS Media Campaign Promotes Meeting’s Scientific Research
Reporters seek to generate stories that will interest their audience. They want to obtain all of the facts in a timely manner, to best tell their story and create a clear message for their readers. When writing about neurological disorders and research affecting them, it is critical that reporters turn to neurosurgeons for their information. However, that is not always the case. Since neurosurgeons are not the only medical professionals treating these disorders, other specialty areas including orthopedics and plastic surgery are often cited in articles as experts.
AANS members know what they do for patients and to advance the neurosurgical specialty, but does the public really know about the disorders neurosurgeons treat?
For years the neurosurgery profession has been a source of fascination, mystery and intrigue for the general public and reporters alike. Nearly everyone has a friend, family member or acquaintance that has suffered from a neurological disorder. In an effort to better understand the disorder, they reach out to their physician, friends, family, the library, the Web and even the national association, to learn more. The AANS is dedicated to making neurosurgery less of a mystery to the public.
“Through dissemination of effective messages, we have been able to position AANS and its members as authorities on treatment of disorders affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves,” said AANS Executive Director Thomas A. Marshall. “Through these efforts AANS will continue to be an important information resource for the general public.”
AANS Media Campaign Brings Science to Millions
One of the ways AANS brings neuorsurgical research to the public is through a proactive public relations campaign surrounding each annual meeting. Reporters from across the country and around the world flock to the AANS press room for more information on the latest advancements in neurosurgery.
Highlights of the 2002 AANS Annual Meeting in April, and scientific advancements made by AANS member neurosurgeons reached a combined audience (print, radio, online publications, television) of over 27 million people around the world. Media outlets in France, China, England, Italy and here in the United States, took notice of the neurosurgery profession, featuring stories in prominent publications and on national and international television and radio programs.
An AANS scientific news release on Parkinson’s disease treatment generated unprecedented media interest as evidenced by approximately 40 articles to date published by national and international media outlets. The release focused on a study by AANS member Michael F. Levesque, MD, and Toomas Neuman, PhD, that explored autologous transplantation of adult human neural stem cells and differentiated dopaminergic neurons for treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Developing the Message
The first step in developing this release and seven others involved review of over 1,200 abstracts of studies submitted by AANS members in all areas of expertise, including spine and peripheral nerves, tumor, neurotrauma, cerebrovascular surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, pain, history, and stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. The AANS Public Relations Committee selected studies that would be of significant interest to the public for development into news releases.
Once studies were selected, the releases were drafted with an eye to maintaining the clarity and continuity of each study, while educating the public in everyday language, avoiding use of “doctor-ease” or neurosurgery jargon. The releases noted the impoortance of each study and emphasized that although results were promising, further research would be need to be obtained before determining any type of definitive cure for the disorders.
Once the releases were reviewed and approved by key AANS members and the authors of the studies, AANS distributed the releases to approximately 2,400 health and medical reporters nationwide using an online distribution service and posted them in the Media Center on the AANS Web site.
Every Story Needs a Quote
Key to getting the scientific information published in the media was the availability of each study’s author(s) to interested reporters. These neurosurgeons served as media resources, helping reporters craft their stories over the telephone or through face-to-face meetings in the AANS press room.
In addition to the study highlighting stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s disease, topics for the scientific releases included: International Internet-Based Patient Consultations; Direct Cortical Interface for Motor Restoration; Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Treatment of Acoustic Neuromas; Outpatient Craniotomy for Tumor Resection; Comparison of Endovascular and Surgical Management of Apex Aneurysms; Neuronal Progenitor Cells Restore Barrel Cortex Function After Focal Injury and Prevention of Alzheimer Plaque Formation in a Transgenic Mouse Model.
The news release on treatment of Parkinson’s disease and all releases are available in the Media Center at https://www.aans.org.
Heather L. Monroe is the AANS director of communications.