www.usc.edu/hhs What's New Follow HH&S What a difference a year makes! We launched our new website, and supplemented that with Facebook and Twit- The Numbers ter pages, which are also new. We pioneered our StoryBus Tours, helping writers find inspiration on the streets of East Los Angeles. Farther from home, I took writers on fact-finding trips to Mumbai and South Africa—and held follow-up panel discussions at the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW). We continued our global outreach by organizing a trip with 200 HH&S-assisted storylines Chris Keyser, president of the WGAW, and three writers and producers to the 5th International Entertainment Education Conference in Delhi, India, which was co-sponsored by Holly- events wood, Health & Society, and moderated a panel on youth en- held trepreneurship and media at the Unesco Youth Forum in Paris. Because HH&S maintains long-standing, far-reaching ties with 9 members of both the entertainment and public health com- munities—contacts that continue to grow—we remain well- positioned to continue to lead as CDC’s primary partner in the field of entertainment education. director, Hollywood, Health & Society 887links on TV/ film websites Trips to EE5, India & South Africa 600% increase in TV episodes tackling key global health topics since It was a year for stretching our HH&S outreach began in 2008 wings. In November, four writers and producers were joined by HH&S Director Sandra de Castro tipsheets on priority Buffington at the 5th Interna- health topics tion Entertainment Education Conference in Delhi, participat- 35 ing in storytelling workshops Mumbai panel discussion and panel talks. Earlier in the year, Buffington organized two Sheena Dabholkar fact-finding trips, taking six TV 232 consultations on inquiries and film writers to Johannesburg and Mumbai, where the from television researchers, groups explored each city, learned about health problems, writers and producers social issues and low-cost, effective solutions, and met with individuals and organizations working for positive change. The writers also participated in panel discussions in both Jo- first-place winners hannesburg and Mumbai with local TV and film writers and in the 2011 Sentinel others involved in entertainment education in each coun- for Health Awards try. On returning home, the writers joined in a special panel talk called "Tales From the Field" about their experiences on the trip. The participants showcased their work and shared 5 thoughts on how television storytelling can educate viewers. :: Watch Tales From the Field panel talk :: Watch Hollywood to Bollywood panel talk 825writers, producers and creative staff received four quarterly StoryBus Tours issues of Real to Reel, which reports on timely health issues Hollywood, Health & Society was excited to launch its Story- posters on bus Tours, a signature series of many health topics were research trips for TV writers to given to TV various Los Angeles locations. shows for set HH&S, working in collabora- dressing tion with co-chairs Dr. Neal Baer, 60 executive producer of A Gifted Mural in East Los Angeles Man, and Christopher Keyser, Topics on Air president of Writers Guild of Raul Gonzalez America, West, conducted its in- HH&S consultations resulted augural tour Jan. 18, offering participants the chance to meet in the inclusion of accurate and be inspired by stories from local community activists and health content in TV story- former gang members who are working to ease street vio- lines in 221 aired episodes lence. Stops at some high schools were also scheduled. over the past year. The scores of topics covered included: Diabetes Episode of 'Royal Pains' Allergies The writers of Royal Pains (USA) Alzheimer’s called HH&S requesting help on Anthrax Vaccine an episode about a diabetic art collector. They wanted to under- Car Injuries stand a variety of elements of Deworming diabetes, and HH&S put them in touch with Dr. Ann Albright, di- Diabetes rector of the CDC’s Diabetes Pre- Royal Pains vention program. She explained Drug abuse the symptoms of retinopathy USA Network Dyslexia and the medical basis and symp- toms of epileptic seizures. She also explained how prednisone Genetics (oral steroids) could have negative consequences for someone with diabetes. The writers worked many of these elements Heart Disease into their storyline, and the episode, “A Little Art, a Little HIV/AIDS Science," aired in August 2011 to about 5 million households. Lupus :: Watch episode of 'Royal Pains' Neurosurgery 'Doc McStuffins' and Hub TV Pediatric HIV Poisoning Thanks partly to the CDC and PTSD Hollywood, Health & Society, somewhere a teddy bear or per- Transplants haps a stuffed Stegosaurus can breathe a little easier, know- ing that their owies are healing Who We Are nicely. It’s all part of the new Disney animated series “Doc Hollywood, Health & Society 'Doc McStuffins' McStuffins,” which will premiere is a program at the USC on the network’s 24-hour Disney Disney Junior channel Annenberg Norman Lear Junior channel that launches Center that provides March 23. “McStuffins” is about a six-year-old girl, Dottie, entertainment industry who communicates with and heals stuffed animals and toys in professionals with accurate her backyard clinic. Through the CDC’s entertainment educa- and timely information for tion cooperative agreement, HH&S provided experts to work health storylines. HH&S is with the show, advising on health issues relevant to kids such funded by the Centers for as bone fractures, fear of the dark, pediatric dentistry and first Disease Control and Pre- aid. In addition, Sandra de Castro Buffington was recently vention, the Bill & Melinda invited to address the advisory board and creative team of Gates Foundation, The Cali- The Hub TV network on fostering children's programming fornia Endowment, the Barr with health and safety messages. Helen Boehm, chairman of Foundation, the Agency the advisory board, called the presentation “valuable and for Healthcare Research inspirational.” Hub TV is a joint venture of Discovery Commu- and Quality, The Grantham nications and Hasbro. Foundation and the Skoll Global Threats Fund. Pediatric HIV on 'Army Wives' We Have Answers In March 2011, HH&S collaborat- ed with the CDC to help the TV Through our long list of tip show Army Wives (Lifetime) sheets and quarterly Real to obtain accurate information Reel newsletters, HH&S pro- about pediatric HIV for an on- vides entertainment industry going storyline about a military professionals with accurate couple’s adoption of an 8-year- and timely information for old child named David. In a health storylines. 'Army Wives' phone call set up by HH&S be- tween an Army Wives writer and Lifetime Dr. John Brooks of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, the writer sought information about To set up consultations how HIV spreads, as well as how the parents would handle with our extensive range telling others about their son’s status, particularly the parents of health experts, con- tact us at [email protected] of David's playmates. Dr. Brooks pointed out how the disease or call (800) 283-0676 can (and cannot) be transmitted. “Drop Zone” aired on May 22, 2011, and received praise from various online sources. Army Wives has nearly 5 million regular viewers. :: Watch episode of 'Army Wives' Did You Know? HH&S remains active in the 'Parenthood': The Experts Speak policy community, with di- rector Sandra de Castro Buff- ington visiting Washington, NBC approached HH&S to con- D.C. several times per year tribute material to its official for meetings that included: Parenthood website, and the • The Pentagon: Demonstra- program's transmedia outreach tion of the use of entertain- specialist reached out to the CDC ment education to address National Center on Birth Defects the health of military fami- and Developmental Disabilities lies through TV storylines. to identify credible experts, in- • Capitol Hill: Meetings with 'Parenthood' formation and links for what staff of the Senate Foreign became “The Experts Speak” NBC Affairs Committee, as well feature. This major addition to as the Office of Rep. Barbara the Parenthood website consists of weekly posts from two au- Lee (D-CA), co-chair, Global tism experts, who discuss the issues raised by the series’ ongo- AIDS Emergency Task Force, ing Asperger’s syndrome storyline. HH&S shepherds each post on key domestic and global (one per episode) from inception to completion. Since there health topics. are 22 episodes per season, this project has been a worthy • CHCI Conference: Gave effort: NBC prominently features “The Experts Speak” at the an address on the power of top of its Parenthood homepage. From the many comments popular TV health storylines fans leave, it is clear that the project has had an impact. to reach the Latino com- :: Visit website for The Experts Speak munity at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. 'Grey's Anatomy' Helps Save a Life Madisyn Kestell just may have a bright career in medicine—if she keeps watching Grey's Anatomy. According to a local Wisconsin newspaper, the 10-year-old Sheboygan girl was credited with saving the life of her moth- er, Kandace, after she suffered a Madisyn (l.), mom, Katelynn severe asthma attack earlier last year. Madisyn says she owes her Bob Petrie/Sheboygan Press knowledge of CPR to the ABC medical drama, which she and her mom watch all the time. After Kandace, 36, collapsed and became unresponsive, Madi- syn and a friend, Katelynn Vreeke, remained calm, called 911 and then administered life-saving efforts. "Me and my mom watch the show every Thursday, and I learned it from there," Madisyn told the Sheboygan Press. "You have no idea how proud I am," Kandace said. "I can't believe it.