Health and Medical Public Relations

Health and Medical Public Relations takes a fresh look at media relations and news values. It examines how information about medical research from the academic, pharmaceutical and charitable sectors is disseminated to target audiences through a variety of PR techniques. Scrutinising a wide range of health-related public relations activities, the book combines a critical, analytical and cultural overview of these methods with helpful guidance on their practical application. Key features include: Advice on how to write and place effective press releases, plan and budget for campaigns, and anticipate responses from different sectors and the wider public Coverage of different types of communication and consultancy, including the controversial areas of lobbying and access to influential policy makersCase studies on the way in which experienced journalists and public relations practitioners gain coverage for their work, with plentiful examples drawn from both recent media scares and long-running issuesA survey of the way challenging public relations issues have been perceived in the past, analysing the attitudes of both legislators and the public A user-friendly format designed to reinforce learning, including handy tips, definition boxes explaining key words and concepts, and exercises and reflection points to stimulate group discussion and reflection on specific examples of science and medical PR practice. Wide-ranging and highly accessible, this book will be an essential resource for undergraduates, postgraduates and professionals learning to specialise in health public relations.

Myc Riggulsford is a science journalist and broadcaster, a pioneer in the field of issue management and regular guest speaker at international science communication conferences. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. After leaving the NHS in 1991 where he was head of public relations for UK Transplant Service, Myc founded The Walnut Bureau, a consultancy specialising in issue management, pressure groups and science communication. He is a consultant on ethics and pressure groups, and designs and runs science communication and media training courses for 5 UK research councils, AlphaGalileo, the British Council in Ukraine, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, India, the Netherlands and South Africa. He also runs media workshops for the European Commission, for academic societies such as the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, charities and public watchdogs, and he runs annual postgraduate and postdoctural seminars on media and ethical issues for UK and European universities.