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The Clinical Center reaches out to the community as a whole through endeavors such as public lectures about science-driven medicine, working with the news media and patient recruitment. These efforts are briefly highlighted below.
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Blood donor Dave Whitmer, along with Cindi Mann (left) and Gladys Sanders (right) from the Department of Transfusion Medicine, displays the “Starve a Mosquito, Give Blood” t-shirt he received after donating blood at the NIH Blood Bank. The shirts were one of several promotions held to encourage blood donation in 2003.
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Medicine for the Public
The Medicine for the Public lecture series, in its 27th year, features NIH physician-researchers working on the forefront of medical discovery. The series helps people understand the latest developments in medicine with an emphasis on topics of current relevance and offers a unique opportunity to learn about the stories of science at NIH. 2003 topics included emerging diseases and bioterrorism threats; Alzheimer’s disease; sickle cell anemia; stem cell transplantation; hereditary hemochromatosis; and complementary and alternative medicine. Each of these lectures is web archived at http://www.cc.nih.gov/about/news/mfp.shtml.
Media Relations
The arc of interest from popular, news and lay media in the protection of human subjects in clinical research and the protection of patients from medical errors has markedly increased this past year. Representatives from media outlets—broadcast, print, wire services, and online news organizations—sought out the NIH Clinical Center and its leadership and experts for commentary on the issues of the day relevant to this subject matter. Individuals from the Clinical Center participated in, or responded to, more than several hundred local, regional, national, and international media queries in 2003. These media interactions were conducted with representatives from diverse media outlets—from the European-based New Scientist Journal and the New York-based Woman’s Day Magazine to Washington, D.C.-based network television affiliates. Coverage of the Clinical Center and its patients’ experiences also appeared in local and regional media from Peoria to Sacramento.
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Smiles were all around for representatives from the National Confectioners Association in Vienna, Virginia, when they paid a Halloween visit to the pediatric care units. The organization, which represents candy and chocolate manufacturers nationwide, brought more treats than tricks to the young people, who clearly enjoyed the visit.
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Patient Recruitment
Patient recruitment team members work with patients, their families and physicians to provide information about participating in clinical research being conducted at the Clinical Center. Trained nurses answer questions and disseminate information about the research programs and the relevant processes. In some cases, they may conduct a preliminary screening interview for admission to a research study. Physicians are directed to the appropriate NIH contact person who can provide more details about the individual studies and the criteria for patient referral. Recruitment needs are addressed for both patient volunteers and healthy volunteers. Information on patient recruitment at the Clinical Center is available toll-free at 1-800-411-1222 or TTY 1-866-411-1010.
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