Course Description
JMSC 6090
Reporting Health and Medicine
Spring 2011
Instructor: Thomas Abraham
Office: Eliot Hall 115
Ph: 2219 4017
E mail: thomas@hku.hk
Time: Monday 9:30 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.
Venue: MW802, Meng Wah Complex
About the course:
The aim of this course is to introduce you to public health and medical reporting, and provide you with some of the basic skills and knowledge required to specialise in this rapidly growing field of journalism. You do not need a previous background in science or medicine to be a medical or health reporter, but you need an interest in science and medicine. Since this is a journalism course, students will report and write medical stories for their course assessment.
The course will have a strong practical element. You will visit clinics and research centres and get a first hand understanding of what doctors do, and how the health system works. You will also be introduced to basic concepts of clinical medicine and epidemiology, learn how to interpret medical statistics, write stories based on research appearing in medical journals and learn to evaluate the different sources of medical news.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
1) To understand and evaluate the sources of medical and health news, and to distinguish between different types of studies and degrees of evidence.
2) To learn how to cover medical research and write accurate news stories based on new research.
3) To be familiar with the major issues in global and local public health
4) To understand how the health systems work
Course work and assessment
Each of you will pick a health area and write three short stories based on new findings published in medical journals. This will count for 40 % of you assessment.
You will also report and write one 750- 1,000 word medical story of publishable quality (40% of grade).
You will read and review a book on health journalism from a list distributed in class (10%)
Class attendance, enthusiastic participation in class work and discussions 10%
Texts:
Required reading:
Victor Cohn, “News and Numbers”, Blackwell publishers
Supplementary Reading (available at Library Reserve list):
Ragnar Levi, “Medical Journalism; Exposing Fact, Fiction and Fraud” Iowa State University Press
Deborah Blum, Mary Knudson, Robin Marantz Henig ed. “ A Field Guide for Science Writers.” Oxford University Press
In addition, readings will be set for individual classes
Recommended Websites:
1. Health News Review: This is a site run by Gary Schwitzer of the University of Minnesota which reviews health news stories. http://www.healthnewsreview.org/
2. Media Doctor Australia: A pioneering site by a group of Australian doctors who devised rating system for health stories in the news. http://www.mediadoctor.org.au/
3. CIDRAP-News site of the Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/
5. World Health Organization: Contains news and background information about health and diseases. www.who.int
6. Health Stories on the BBC website, Reuters, and The New York Times health section.
7. Medline Plus Medical Dictionary: This is an excellent online medical dictionary from the US National Institutes of Health explaining medical terms and disease conditions simply and comprehensibly.
8. Pro-Med Mail (www.promedmail.org)
Course Schedule:
January 10 : Introduction to health journalism and the course; the ABCs of health journalism- accuracy, balance and completeness; avoiding spin and marketing hype.
Readings:
Chapter 1 in Ragnar Levi’s Medical Journalism – “The Media Meets Medicine”
Gary Schwitzer et al “What are the Roles and Responsibilities of the Media in Disseminating Health Information? PLOS Medicine, July 2005
January 17: The sources of Medical News, Study Designs and Understanding Medical Research
Disease Detective Exercise
Readings:
Ragnar Levi,Chapter 3, pp 40-46
Victor Cohn, News and Numbers, Chapter 4. What’s a good study? Chapter 5, Questions you can ask.
AHCJ principles
Class work: Choosing an area of study for your three news stories.
January 24: Writing a medical story: Practical Exercise
January 31
Comparing Medical treatments- Absolute vs Relative Risk Reduction, Number Needed to Treat
Readings: Victor Cohn, News and Numbers, Chapter 6, Testing what Works
Erik Rifkin, Edward Bouwer, The Illusion of Certainty, Chapter 2 Cause and Effects vs Risk Factors ( to be distributed in class)
Class Discussion
February 14
Medicine at the grass roots: the world of the general practitioner and family medicine. Guest Lecturer: Dr T.P. Lam, Family Medicine Unit, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU. We will visit the Family Medicine Unit at Ap Lei Chau and see the work they do. (To be confirmed)
February 21
From Animals to Humans: the emergence of new diseases
Readings: To be assigned
Class Discussion
March 7
Visit to Centre for Health Protection, Hong Kong (date to be confirmed)
March 14
Visit to Pasteur-HKU research centre (date to be confirmed)
Class Discussion
March 21
The Pandemic of 2009, and a brief ABC of Influenza
Readings: TBA
First Class Discussion
March 28
Autism (Dr Grainne McAlonan, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU. Date to be confirmed)
Readings: TBA
Class Discussion
April 4
Cancer: Speaker to be confirmed
Readings: TBA
Class presentations
April 11
Wrap up
Course Grade Descriptors:
| Learning Outcomes | A | B | C | F |
| 1. Understanding and evaluating the sources of medical news. Distinguishing between hype and reality | Always demonstrates ability to distinguish between good and bad studies and types of evidence | Regularly show ability to distinguish between good and bad studies and types of evidence | Occasionally shows ability to distinguish between good and bad studies and types of evidence | Rarely or never shows ability to distinguish between good and bad studies and types of evidence |
| 2. To learn how to cover medical research and write accurate news stories based on new research | Always demonstrates the ability to write clearly and incisively, with carefully sourced material | Regularly demonstrates clear and incisive writing with well sourced material | Does not consistently demonstrate clear and incisive writing. | Rarely or never produces clear or accurate stories |
| 3 To be familiar with the major issues in global and local public health | Demonstrates clear understanding of epidemiology as well as control efforts for major diseases | Demonstrates good understanding of epidemiology as well as control efforts for major diseases | Has some understanding of epidemiology and control efforts of major diseases | Demonstrates little understanding of epidemiology and control efforts of major diseases |
| Rarely demonstrates news judgment. |
Grading Scale for Assignments and the Course
Each of your assignments will be graded according to the above descriptors on the following scale:
A+ = 80% B- = 60-62%
C+=57-59%
C= 53-56%
A = 75-79% C-= 50-52%
A- = 70-74% F= 49% and below
B+= 67-69%
B= 63-66%
