Medicine, Media & Patients: A New Professional Language

Newswise — (Washington, D.C.- 30 October, 2019) Scientists, journalists and cancer patients will gather to discuss the importance of precision medicine and accurate health and science communication during the National Italian American Foundation’s (NIAF) 44th Anniversary Gala Weekend in Washington, D.C.

“Medicine, Media, and Patients,” presented by Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO), will include updates on precision medicine in oncology, an analysis of the state of health communication in Italy and America, as well as reflections from a former cancer patient.  

The conference will convene on Saturday, November 2, from 9 to 11:30 AM at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. 

“As the Internet and social media assume greater importance in the communication of medical information, it’s vital for both researchers and journalists to ensure that this information is factually correct,” says Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., founder and director of SHRO.

The medical conference will conclude with the annual Giovan Giacomo Giordano NIAF Award for Ethics and Creativity in Medical Research, presented by Giacomina Massaro-Giordano, M.D., professor of Opthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania.

Italian journalist Gerardo Ausiello of Il Mattino will discuss the risks, limits and prospects of science communication in Italy, followed by freelance writer Ilene Raymond Rush, who writes regularly in the Philadelphia Inquirer, who will talk about dealing with the contemporary mistrust of science and how health journalists might help remedy this problem.  

“Our hope is that these journalists’ perspectives can shed light on ways that reporters and physicians can help consumers understand a variety of medical issues,” says Giordano. “We want to highlight how improving communication about our research can help to promote better health.”

Among the medical panelists participating will be Professor Alfonso De Nicola, former medical director of the SSC Naples soccer team, and Dr. Raffaele Aiello, Director of the Omnia Lab and an expert in the field of infertility. 

About the Sbarro Health Research Organization

The Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) is non-profit charity committed to funding excellence in basic genetic research to cure and diagnose cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other chronic illnesses and to foster the training of young doctors in a spirit of professionalism and humanism. To learn more about the SHRO please visit www.shro.org