Sandra de Castro Buffington, director of Hollywood, Health & Society, moderated this discussion that brought top TV producers, writers and performers together to meet with key Washington policymakers on Capitol Hill. With a focus on showing how global health issues are depicted in entertainment media, the discussion covered such topics as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and more. The event drew over 100 guests, and six congressional offices, nine U.S. government agencies and more than 10 nonprofit stakeholders were represented. Panelists included actress Mariska Hargitay, co-star of Law & Order: SVU, who spoke about her experiences with the show that led her to start the Joyful Heart Foundation for victims of sexual assault. Neal Baer, executive producer of the show, also joined the panel, and showed clips from a recent film by Alcides Soares about HIV/AIDS orphans in Mozambique. Sally Canfield of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spoke about public health interventions that work globally, such as vaccinations for preventable diseases and bed nets to combat malaria. Watch Part 2 | Watch Part 3 | Read transcript
Health experts discussed leading-edge technology and therapy and exposed the myths of organ donation. Real organ recipients and donors shared personal stories about their roles in the second chance at life that donation offers.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the objectives of this two-day conference are 1) to gain a deeper understanding of the most effective ways to evaluate the impact of global health-related storylines on television, for both domestic and international audiences; 2) to identify research gaps in this area; and 3) to propose an innovative strategy for forward-thinking, targeted research that will strengthen and focus entertainment-education efforts that increase knowledge of and support for global health initiatives among the general public, policymakers, and opinion leaders.
Panelists offered compelling stories about addiction—from substance abuse to treatment and recovery, and included recovered addicts, medical experts, specialists in drug and tobacco policy, and TV writers who have turned stories about addiction into top-rated television shows.
The NBC drama ER received first place in the primetime drama category at the tenth annual Sentinel for Health Awards for a storyline involving a grandmother’s anguish as she makes the difficult decision to allow her grandson’s organs to be donated, giving meaning to his tragic death and a second chance at life to others.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is in touch with heroes on the front lines of health and medical crises worldwide, and our keynote speaker Tachi Yamada oversees the largest health portfolio in the world. This special event featured compelling global health stories from experts in the heart of the action overseas, and TV writers who have turned stories on global health topics into top-rated television shows.
Sandra de Castro Buffington, director of the Norman Lear Center's Hollywood, Health & Society program, served on the "That's Entertainment! Or Is It?" panel with Neal Baer, executive producer, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Zoanne Clack, executive producer and writer, Grey's Anatomy. Since 2006, the annual Beyond Broadcast conference has explored the evolution of participatory digital public media. This year's conference, titled "Public Service Media from Local to Global," brings this ongoing conversation to the world stage, examining these issues from a global perspective. BB09 was structured around three themes: local, global and connecting the two. This panel examined the role of TV shows in spreading helpful information and the ways network television serves the public in areas of critical importance, such as safety and health.
Sandra de Castro Buffington, the director of the Hollywood, Health & Society project at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, gave a presentation titled "Global Health in Entertainment: Educating Hollywood's Writers" at the Global Health Council Media Awards luncheon in Washington, D.C. on May 28. The event was an opportunity to learn more about the changing media landscape and honor the best of health reporting. The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to saving lives by improving health, and works to ensure that the necessary information and resources are available.
Sandra de Castro Buffington, the director of the Hollywood, Health & Society project at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, gave a presentation titled "Working With Hollywood's Creative Community to Increase Accuracy of Health Content in TV Storylines" on March 26 at Hofstra University in New York. Her address was part of a symposium on Media and Social Change that explored the unique role entertainment can play in dealing with social and health issues that affect women in this country and around the world. The keynote speaker was Dr. Neal Baer, executive producer of Law & Order: SVU.
"Addressing Health in Entertainment Television: An Innovative Model to Reach Millions Through TV Storylines" was presented by Sandra de Castro Buffington, the director of the Hollywood, Health & Society project, at the Social Justice Dialogue and Publication Series at the University of Texas at El Paso on March 24. The university's Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies, which hosted the event, was established in 2002 and named after the ABC-TV news veteran and alumnus. The Donaldson Center provides academic enrichment for communication majors, and fosters research collaboration with other universities across the world.
