1 The Norman Lear Center 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards The Sentinel for Health Awards The Norman Lear Center The Sentinel for Health Awards recognize exemplary The Norman Lear Center achievements of television storylines that inform, educate is a nonpartisan research and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and and public policy center safer lives. For many loyal viewers, television dramas and that studies the social, comedies provide both entertainment and information political, economic and about disease, injury and disability. A compelling storyline cultural impact of that demonstrates risky behavior and consequences, or entertainment on the world. The Lear Center translates shows how to avoid risk, can benefit millions of viewers its findings into action through testimony, journalism, and their loved ones. strategic research and innovative public outreach campaigns. On campus, from its base in the USC Each entry is screened by Hollywood, Health & Society Annenberg School for Communication, the Lear Center staff for eligibility. Qualifying entries are evaluated in two builds bridges between schools and disciplines whose rounds of judging. In the first round of judging, each sto- faculty study aspects of entertainment, media and ryline is reviewed for accuracy by a panel of topic experts culture. Beyond campus, it bridges the gap between who take the following into consideration: the entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. Through scholarship and research; * How the health problem can be prevented through its conferences, public events and publications; * How a character’s choices affect his/her health or safety and in its attempts to illuminate and repair the world, the * What causes the health problem and how it impacts the Lear Center works to be at the forefront of discussion and lives and relationships of characters practice in the field. For more information, please visit * Common myths about the health issue www.learcenter.org. * Which characters are at greatest risk for the health problem * Professional standards and practices observed by health care providers Hollywood, Health & Society Finalists from the first round of judging are reviewed by Hollywood, Health & a panel of invited experts from public health, academic, Society (HH&S) is a advocacy and entertainment organizations. The entries program at the USC are evaluated on the following criteria: Annenberg Norman Lear Center that provides * Potential benefit to the viewing audience entertainment industry * Entertainment value professionals with accurate and timely information for health storylines. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The California Endowment, and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Division of Transplantation and Poison Control Program, the program recognizes the profound impact that entertainment media have on individual knowledge and behavior. For more information, please visit www.usc.edu/hhs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recognized as the leading federal agency for protecting the health and safety of people at home and abroad, providing credible information to enhance health decisions and promoting health through strong partnerships. For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov. 2 The Norman Lear Center 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards Speakers 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards Winners Martin Kaplan, Norman Lear Chair in Daytime Drama Entertainment, Media and Society, FINALIST: As the World Turns (CBS): USC Annenberg School for Communication “Barbara’s Cancer Story” (Oral cancer) Director, Norman Lear Center , Director Sandra de Castro Buffington Primetime Comedy Hollywood, Health & Society USC Norman Lear Center 1st PLACE: Desperate Housewives (ABC): “Lynette’s Cancer” (Cancer) Neal Baer, Executive Producer, Law & Order: SVU 2nd PLACE: Desperate Housewives (ABC): “Something Coming” (Drug addiction) David Poindexter, Founder and Former President of Population Communications International (PCI) Primetime Drama 1st PLACE: Breaking Bad (AMC): “Walt’s Lung Cancer” (Lung cancer) 2nd PLACE: ER (NBC): Panel Discussion Participants “Abby’s Alcohol Relapse” (Alcohol abuse) FINALIST: Law & Order (NBC): Colleen Zenk-Pinter, Actress, As the World “Betrayal” (Sexual abuse) Turns (CBS) FINALIST: Without A Trace (CBS): “A Bend in the Road” (Organ transplantation) Jordon Nardino, Story Editor, Desperate Housewives (ABC) FINALIST: House (Fox): “The Right Stuff” (Cancer) Vince Gilligan, Executive Producer, Breaking Bad (AMC) Primetime Minor Storyline Karen Maser, Co-Producer, ER (ABC) 1st PLACE: Private Practice (ABC): Diego Gutierrez, Writer, Without a Trace (CBS) “In Which Addison Finds a Showerhead” (Teen sexual health) 2nd PLACE: Private Practice (ABC): Matt Lewis, Staff Writer; Liz Friedman, Supervising Producer, House (Fox) “In Which Cooper Finds a Port in His Storm” (Newborn abandonment) , Director of Medical Elizabeth Klaviter 3rd PLACE: Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): Research, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice “Piece of My Heart” (HIV & pregnancy) (ABC) , Producer, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Stacy McKee Spanish-Language Telenoevla 1st PLACE: Pecados Ajenos (Telemundo): Zoanne Clack, Producer, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) “Construction Safety Storyline” (Occupational health) Michelle Alban, Director of Community Connections, Telemundo; Pecados Ajenos (Telemundo) Children’s Programming 1st PLACE: Lincoln Heights (ABC Family): Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, Executive “The Vision” (Gang violence) Producer; Anthony Sparks, Executive Story Editor & Writer, Lincoln Heights (ABC Family) 3 The Norman Lear Center 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards Speaker Biographies Martin Kaplan Sandra de Castro Buffington The Director of the Lear Center, Sandra de Castro Martin Kaplan, Buffington, MPH is holds the the Director of Norman Lear Hollywood, Health Chair in & Society, a Entertainment, program of the Media and Society. USC Annenberg He is a research Norman Lear professor and former associate dean Center. Sandra is known for her at the USC Annenberg School for award-winning work in global health and Communication. A summa cum laude social transformation. She spent 20 years graduate of Harvard, a Marshall Scholar working internationally, and five of those to Cambridge University and a Stan- years were spent in residence overseas. ford PhD, he was Vice President Walter Formerly Associate Faculty of The Johns Mondale’s chief speechwriter and deputy Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Presidential campaign manager; a Disney Health and a past Board member of the Studios vice president of motion picture Pan American Health and Education production; and a film and Foundation, she was Vice President of television writer and producer. CEDPA and Senior Communication Advisor with the USAID Office of Population. 4 The Norman Lear Center 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards Neal Baer David Poindexter Neal Baer, MD David Poindexter is Executive is the founder and Producer of the former president NBC television of Population series Law & Communications Order: Special International (PCI). Victims Unit. He has a long Dr. Baer history of developing graduated from effective entertain- Harvard Medical School and completed ment raising discussion in a way that his internship in Pediatrics at Children’s encourages viewers to think differently Hospital, Los Angeles. Dr. Baer’s about subjects on which they may have primary medical interests are in held long-standing, but unexamined adolescent health. He has written beliefs. He mobilized the producers and extensively for teens on health issues creators of numerous primetime U.S. for Scholastic Magazine, covering such television shows and he has shared this topics as teen pregnancy, AIDS, drug successful model with broadcasters in and alcohol abuse, and nutrition. developing countries across the globe. Recently, Dr. Baer co-established At the time of David’s retirement, senior the Institute for Photographic management from PCI put all efforts into Empowerment at USC’s Annenberg helping Bill Ryerson launch the Population School for Communication, which links Media Center. David currently serves as its photographic story-telling projects Honorary Chair. around the world and makes that work available to NGOs and policymakers. 5 The Norman Lear Center 2008 Sentinel For Health Awards The 2008 Sentinel for Health Awards Ceremony Neal Baer: Good evening. Thank you for coming to the Ninth An- nual Sentinel for Health Awards ceremony and panel discussion. My name is Neal Baer, I am the co-chair of Hollywood, Health & Soci- ety (HH&S), and I know all of you writers here tonight know about HH&S because you use their services wisely and well. It’s really important, as we all know, to get accurate health information to our viewing audience, and tonight we’re honoring all of you nomi- nees for the great work that you’ve done, and I want to thank you. Patrick Verrone is the co-chair of HH&S, and he can’t be here tonight because he’s, of course, out picketing. I think he really is lying in the street working with hotel workers at the Hilton Hotel, so he cannot be here. I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Director of the USC Norman Lear Center. His namesake is right over there [points to Norman Lear], and we have him to thank for all of this. And that’s where Hollywood, Health & Society is located. So please join me in welcoming Marty Kaplan. Marty Kaplan: Thank you, and thank