ANN ARBOR, MI – Some of the country's most distinguished experts in the fields of women's health and medical journalism – including former FDA official Susan F. Wood, New York Times reporter Gina Kolata and Michigan Surgeon General Kimberlydawn Wisdom – will discuss the impact of journalism on women's health during an event at the University of Michigan Nov. 7.

Vivian W. Pinn	Susan F. Wood	Gina Kolata	Kimberlydawn Wisdom

Among the highlights at the event will be a keynote speech by Wood, Ph.D., the former director of the Office of Women's Health at the Food and Drug Administration who resigned when the agency stalled the approval of the Plan B emergency contraception pill in spite of scientists' recommendations to approve it.

Other speakers include Kolata, a science and medical journalist for the New York Times, who will deliver the other keynote address; Wisdom, M.D., the first statewide surgeon general in the country; Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health; Joanne Silberner, health policy correspondent for National Public Radio; and more.

The event, “Women's Health: The Press and Public Policy,” will be held at the Michigan League Ballroom, 911 North University in Ann Arbor, from 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 7. It is free and open to the public. The event is presented by the Knight-Wallace Fellows at Michigan and sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, with support from the Women's Health Program at the University of Michigan Health System.

“The idea is to explore how well the important public policy issue of women's health is being explained to the public, which of course ultimately foots the bill. The experts and journalists will each be asked how good a job they think they're doing – and also how well each thinks the other is doing. We expect a lively event and will open the discussion, as always, to the public,” says Charles R. Eisendrath, director of the Knight-Wallace Fellows at Michigan, a fellowship program for mid-career journalists.

“The topic of women's health encompasses a vast array of issues, from pregnancy and cancer to body image and heart disease to gynecological health and nutrition,” says Timothy R.B. Johnson, M.D., chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Health System and professor of women's studies at U-M. “This esteemed group of speakers will add a great deal to the discussion about the ways women acquire information about health issues.”

In addition to those listed above, others scheduled to speak at the event are:

• Myrna Blyth, author, Spin Sisters: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness and Liberalism to the Women of America, former editor-in-chief of Ladies' Home Journal and founding editor-in-chief of MORE magazine
• Dianne Hales, author of An Invitation to Health and one of the country's most widely published and honored writers on health subjects
• Marcia C. Inhorn, Ph.D., professor of health behavior and health education at U-M and director of the U-M Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies
• Cynthia A. Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network and lead author of The Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy
• Joann Ellison Rodgers, author of Sex: A Natural History, and director of media relations at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
• Frances M. Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and a breast cancer survivor.

For more information about the event, call 734-998-7666.

About the Knight-Wallace Fellows at Michigan: The Knight-Wallace Fellows program provides outstanding mid-career journalists the opportunity to indulge in a sabbatical year of study and reflection. The program's largest institutional supporter is the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and its largest individual supporter is Mike Wallace, the legendary correspondent from CBS's “60 Minutes.”

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to apply knowledge to solve the problems of people. Its founder, cereal industry pioneer W.K. Kellogg, established the foundation in 1930. The foundation focuses on building the capacity of individuals, communities and institutions to solve their own problems. 

About the Women's Health Program at the University of Michigan Health System: The Women's Health Program coordinates direct care, educational and research programs in women's health. The program provides a comprehensive range of services and resources to serve the interests of women, while enhancing the research and education missions of the University of Michigan.

Written by Katie Gazella

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