Below are some developments that may be of interest for those in journalism, health and related fields.
Amongst other things, they are a reminder that as mainstream media opportunities for in-depth health coverage diminish, new avenues are arising.
Please note there are looming deadlines for some of these opportunities – so if you are interested, you may need to act fast.
Fellowship to report on Safety 2016
The 12th Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion will be held in Finland in September, and fellowships are available for journalists to attend and cover this conference.
If you are interested in covering this event for Croakey, please be in touch. We may be able to support your application.
The application closes Monday, 25 July.
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) with the support of WHO invites journalists to apply for the Safety 2016 Reporting Fellowship.
In collaboration with WHO, ICFJ will select 12 journalists from around the world to attend a two-day workshop on injury prevention on September 17-18, 2016. The fellows will then participate in and report on the Safety 2016 conference from September 18-21, 2016.
The workshop will give journalists an opportunity to improve their understanding of injury prevention – especially around road safety – and to interact directly with global experts. The selected fellows also will be exposed to cutting-edge digital tools and techniques to bolster their reporting on injury prevention.
Jobs at The Conversation
Applications close today for a position as life sciences editor.
Applicants are also sought for a maternity leave replacement – as Deputy Editor (Health and Medicine). Applications close 5 August.
PhD offer to study medicine and the media
A new NHMRC-funded Centre for Research Excellence, “Creating sustainable health care: ensuring new diagnostics avoid harms, improve outcomes and direct resources wisely”, has an opportunity for someone to study for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), with scholarship support.
Working with a team of internationally respected researchers, the successful PhD candidate will lead a series of research projects investigating Australian media coverage of medicine, and develop and evaluate ways to optimise that coverage.
The research projects will include a literature review, quantitative analysis of media coverage, qualitative research with media workers, and the development and evaluation of an intervention.
The newly funded CRE, and a related and recently funded NHMRC Program Grant, form the Wiser Healthcare research collaboration investigating overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
Applications close 19 August. Read more here.
Healthcare news at LinkedIn
In another sign of the changing times, LinkedIn has appointed its first News Editor – Healthcare, Beth Kutscher.
She wrote recently that both journalism and healthcare are undergoing disruption and transformation, and that: “When an industry is disrupted, there’s a lot to learn. The people who are willing to be innovators in this space have stories and wisdom and lessons to share.”
Kutscher says her job is to keep professionals informed and encourage them to write about what matters most to them:
With over 433 million members, LinkedIn represents one of the largest groups of business professionals ever assembled. It’s a place where people come to make connections, learn new skills, share their experiences and reach others in the same industry.
Our healthcare news channel, as of this writing, has nearly 5 million followers.
I’ll have a chance to work with some of the most influential people in this industry and help them share their ideas with a wide audience of healthcare practitioners.”
On Twitter, follow @bethkutscher.
