Entry #12506
Editorial & Advocacy Writing (includes letters to the editor)
ACEP Now—Resident Voice
Dawn Antoline-Wang, Editor
Wiley
With Dr. Kimberly Chernoby, Dr. Jeremy Faust
“Using her first-person experience as an intern dealing with a minor in severe labor pain at an Indiana county hospital, the author proves that one person can be the conduit for political changes. After being told that the 17-year-old patient could not have certain helpful treatment because she was a minor, the author embarked on a campaign to change the law. In arresting detail, the article skillfully documents the lengthy process to change minds—and the stumbling blocks encountered along the way. With her powerful voice, the author recounts how she was able to get a law passed, allowing 16-17-year-olds the legal right and ability to consent to their own medical care. The writing is compelling and true-to-life—it has the reader cheering on the young resident as she tries to improve the health and well-being of patients.”
Entry #11889
Education & Training
Beyond Diversity and Inclusion Towards Cultural Competency and Fluency
Angie Chatman, Freelance Writer
AngieCWriter
With Joanne Lozar Glenn, Karen Craddock
“Effectively using statistics and first-hand accounts, the author cogently documents the issue of unintentional, institutional racism as a contributing factor in the high rate of death from pregnancy-related complications for black women, who experience maternal death rates at three to four times higher than white women. The writer graphically shows the positive outcomes of cultural championing in reproductive care for black women and their babies. Coming full circle, the author substantiates the premise by indicating the numerous hospitals and health care systems that are adopting new patient safety protocols to reduce the risk of maternal complications.”
Entry #12722
Feature Writing
"Public Health Enemy No. 1: Loneliness," Heartbeat, Nov-Dec 2019
Mario Medina, Creative Director
madison/miles media
With Paula Felps
“Particularly relevant due to the 2020 worldwide pandemic, this article details how loneliness has become one of the greatest modern threats to heart health. Social isolation is as risky as high blood pressure, obesity and even smoking. The informative article uses clear and precise language to credibly demonstrate the increased risk of heart disease and stroke for those experiencing chronic loneliness. Included is a valuable a box of recommendations, “If You Know Someone Who’s Lonely,” that perfectly complements this well-researched article.”
Entry #12067
Feature Writing
Dealing with the realities of dementia
Bethany Bray, Senior writer
American Counseling Association/Counseling Today
With Jonathan Rollins
“Kimberly Valentine became homeless at age 14, entered the foster care system, joined the military and earned her law degree—all before founding the nonprofit Operation Helping Hands So Cal, which assists the homeless and works to engage and empower local youth. The writing pulls at our heartstrings without preaching—it elucidates with emotion how Kimberly’s own struggle with homelessness, as well as her desire as an adult to teach her own children about social responsibility, sparked the organization’s mission. More than telling us that Kimberly received the AAJ Trial Lawyers Care Award, the article eloquently shows how she saw a need and acted to meet that need. It reveals how her mission has grown to change many lives—compelling the readers to think of how one small act can make a difference.”
Entryct.counseling.org/2019/12/dealing-with-the-reali
Entry #11564
Feature Writing
Dermatology World: Disaster strikes. Are you prepared?
Allison Evans, Assistant Managing Editor, Dermatology World
American Academy of Dermatology
“In clear and precise language, these two articles summarize clinically useful material from the full-length issue articles. Highlighting issues such as music therapy, post intensive care syndrome, pressure injuries, and home care for infants with congenital heart disease, the writing effectively communicates procedures and processes vital to the critical care nurse. First, each well-written/edited headline is precise and accurately reflects article contents. The synopses are succinct, using bullet points to identify main findings and themes. This makes it easy for time-crunched clinical nurses to easily locate information on topics relevant to their specialties—and leads them to articles for further guidance.”
Entry #12360
Feature Writing
Nonmedical vaccine exemptions ‘violate’ a ‘fundamental right’ of children
Katherine Bortz, Staff Writer
Infectious Diseases in Children
“Sometimes an article seems especially prescient—and this one surely has the reader analyzing how issues with the measles vaccine might be applied to future concerns with pandemic vaccines. The author deftly weaves a convincing argument against nonmedical vaccine exemptions, using examples of community spread, data from hotspots and possible loss of herd immunity as evidence. The analytical writing traces measles outbreaks to anti-vaccination sentiment that is strongly embedded in communities—often backed by legislation—showing how nonmedical vaccine exemptions are leaving children vulnerable to terrible but preventable diseases. Backed by reviewed studies, journal articles and government policies (e.g., CDC), this data-driven, meticulously written article explores the populations most at risk, and the role of physicians in improving vaccination rates and educating the public about the value of immunizations.”
Entryhealio.com/pediatrics/vaccine-preventable-diseas
Entry #11693
Feature Writing
Portrait of a Second Grade Pen Pal
Priscilla Cowell, writer
3550 Magazine
“These writers, in clear and numbing simplicity, lay all the drug issues out using a unique ‘courtroom’ technique. The article identifies the possible suspects, the ‘crimes’ they are ‘on trial’ for and their possible ‘defenses’ for those ‘crimes.’ Rather than rely on hyperbole and editorial opinion, readers see the FACTS, well-explained with sources to consult so that they can come to their own conclusions. Definitely one to keep in the ‘personal medical file’.”
Entry #11694
Health & Medical Writing
Dealing With Outrageous Drug Prices
Steve Casey, Editor
3550 Magazine
With Bruce Howard
“Here is a multi-faceted campaign designed to promote economic development in the town, ranked ‘one of the best places to live in Canada’. A two-and-a-half minute video adequately covers all the information needed for anyone interested in visiting, living in, or investing in the community. That video is supported by a visually captivating 32-page booklet covering the History, People, Small Business, Tourism, Lifestyle and Labour Force of the town.” Excellent information ... excellent design and photography … the complete package.”
Entry #11458
Health & Medical Writing
Ironic India- Enhancing awareness about childhood anaemia among pediatricians and parents
Dr. Melisa Pereira, Sr. Consultant- Medical Communications
Royal Exports Enterprises
With Marspoles Media and Communications
“This parent-focused article, combined with the graphic charts, sheds light on the prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia in India. The author succinctly sounds the alarm, noting health and social consequences such as impaired brain development, growth and immunity, as well as, the increased risk of mortality in children. Describing anemia in direct and simple terms, the article is easy for parents to understand—especially important for those with lower educational/economic status, whose children are most at risk. The author shares a simple plan with practical ways to help eradicate this widespread problem. The easy-to-understand charts are perfect for displaying throughout communities—in schools, community centers and health clinics.”
Entry #12342
Health & Medical Writing
Programs work from within to prevent black maternal deaths: Workers targeting root cause — Racism
Mark Barna, assistant editor
American Public Health Association
“Drawing on interviews with four licensed professional counselors, this ACA article helps to dispel some of the misinformation associated with dementia and offers practical strategies for caregivers and counselors in handling the progressive stages of dementia. Unlike dry, clinical pieces, the writing here is informative, yet lively. The tone is educational, yet approachable—the author writes in a conversational tone that includes the personal experiences of the counselors (with their clients and their own family members). The article offers sage advice, from the value of empathetic listening to the importance of making the patient feel calm/safe. It does this while sensitively acknowledging the sense of loss/grief for the care-giving family as well as the individual dementia patient.”
Entry #11965
Interviews & Personal Profiles
Changing the Face of Construction: Heather Ferrier Laminack Advocates of Women in Construction
Krystie Dovenmuehler, Director of Publishing
E&M Consulting Inc.
“This piece addresses one of the glaring needs of today’s world – cross-cultural competence, which the article defines as ‘the ability to operate with sensitivity in other cultural settings.’ According to the writer, this ability is one of the top 10 skills for the 21st century workforce. The article poses an obvious, but vitally important question: If educators are ineffective … how will students learn it? It then provides in great detail, with clear objectives, how educators can successfully address the issue.”
Entryemflipbooks.com/flipbooks/TAB/TexasBuilder_JanFe
Entry #11968
Interviews & Personal Profiles
Members In Motion: Offering a Helping Hand
Jennifer Adams, Editor in Chief
American Association for Justice
“With vivid written imagery of Hurricane Katrina—showing how natural disasters can change everything in the blink of an eye—the authors set the stage for offering a list of vetted best practices. Delineating a clear 8-step plan for patients and practices, the writers offer a well-constructed emergency proposal for natural disasters, including patient record availability, patient consultations, communication strategies, managing perishables, backups, and insurance needs. Effectively interspersed within the article are boxes with expert advice from doctors, who use real-world scenarios and cases to illustrate the importance of planning. Although aimed at dermatologists, the implications are valid for all in the medical profession. The authors persuasively underscore the implications for dermatology in disaster planning, and propose an interdisciplinary approach that includes implications for the skin, as well as dermatology’s role in identifying and treating public health trends.”
Entry #12724
News Writing
"Somehow, I Participated in That": Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Mission
Troy Eller English, Archivist
Society of Women Engineers
“While giving us a rarely seen glimpse into the archives of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the author/archivist spotlights poignant excerpts from Profiles of SWE Oral History Project. The author effectively contrasts the men who worked out front with the women engineers, mathematicians and scientists who worked behind the scenes to help humankind reach the moon. Particularly astute is the comparison of female engineers to the sailmakers for the explorers—but in this case it was the exploration of space. Although this article zeroes in on four women, links to a two-episode podcast and the full oral history interviews give the reader access to additional primary source material.”
Entry #12373
News Writing
Neurology Today: A Major Hospital Announces It Is Closing
Fay Ellis, Senior Executive Editor
Wolters Kluwer
With Gina Shaw
“The closing of a hospital, especially in a city such as Philadelphia, can have devastating effects on residents and patients. This powerfully written article enumerates the complex difficulties in placing neurology residents and finding community outpatient/inpatient care. It emphasizes how the camaraderie among what are normally competing hospitals helped place neurology residents and fill the void left by the shuttered hospital. The author carefully unveils the heartbreak and stress felt throughout the hospital community. This insightful article struck a chord, highlighting problems in our often complicated and fragile healthcare system.”
Entryjournals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2019/
Entry #12178
Regular Departments & Columns (Enter either your single best Column or Department, or enter a series of [up to 3] columns or departments.)
Clinical Pearls
Aluko Hope, Co-Editor in Chief
AJCC
With Cindy Munro, Katie Spiller
“This article successfully shows how age is no barrier to friendship. Priscilla Cowell, 78, struck up a correspondence with a girl of 8 and wrote with style and grace about the commonality they found and the friendship that shrunk their 70-year age gap. Whether discussing favorite colors, activities or books these new friends discovered shared interests, and demonstrated a true desire to get to know each other. The short article is written with humor and conveys how multi-generational friendships can benefit participants of all ages.”
Entry #12307
Regular Departments & Columns (Enter either your single best Column or Department, or enter a series of [up to 3] columns or departments.)
Old, incorrect, and obsolete: Why out-of-date content hurts your website; Recruiting & Retaining Adult Learners
Donna Talarico, Columnist
Wiley
With Joan Hope, Halley Sutton
“Is your website full of ‘ROT’? This article effectively uses an acronym to help colleges/universities that are redeveloping their websites determine what content is ‘Redundant, Out-of-date, and Trivial’. The writing is smart and to-the-point, offering timely strategies to prevent ‘ROT’ and pointing out how websites become cluttered in the first place. The author adds a clever touch of humor at the end, editing her own article down to size!”
Entry #12398
Regular Departments & Columns (Enter either your single best Column or Department, or enter a series of [up to 3] columns or departments.)
Oncology Times: “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”
Pam Tarapchak, Editor
Wolters Kluwer
With George Sledge, Jr., MD
“This riveting column first grabs our attention by quoting catchy lyrics from the standard ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’. It uses this intro to deftly shift the topic to the California wildfires and their resultant health and climate consequences. As he paints vivid pictures of the landscape and assails our mouths with the taste of the smoke, the author next skillfully turns the focus to the effects of smoking. This engrossing writing expertly winds its way through cataclysmic events such as volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes and our current misuse of the planet’s resources. As it winds down, this gripping column brings us back to the fires and the long-term effects for firefighters. Throughout, the author nimbly peppers the column with personal observation and opinion without sounding self-righteous.”
Entry #11631
Speech & Script Writing
#EndTheStreakTx Press Event
Shannon McIntire, Information Specialist
TxDOT
“This conference speech had us hooked after the first few lines: “Today, Nov. 7, 2019, is truly a sad anniversary for Texas. Today represents the 19th anniversary of the last deathless day on Texas roads.” Stark facts such as “more than 90% of lives lost were preventable,” cause the reader/listener to sit up a bit straighter and concentrate a little more. Next came the avoidable causes of road death in Texas: impaired driving, cell phone use, distracted driving, speeding and unbuckled seatbelts. As for the idea that 0 road deaths may seem like an impossibly lofty goal, this speaker/writer powerfully invokes JFK by saying that landing a man on the moon was also thought an impossible goal—and “the goal was chosen not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”
Entry #12532
Technical & Technology Writing (includes help files and FAQs, as well as writing on technology and science topics)
Free Online Resources: Is Your School's and Your Students' Data Safe?
Joanne Glenn, writer . editor . educator
NBEA
“Especially as more schools opt for forms of remote learning and move away from textbooks, keeping students’ data safe is becoming an increasingly difficult job in education. This article deftly guides readers through the complex web of security concerns in using free and paid-for digital learning classroom resources. The author offers real-world cases, meticulously identifying problems with popular free and paid programs that are frequently used in schools, but doesn’t stop with citing the problems. The thoroughly researched article offers prudent precautions that schools and individual educators should take to ensure that apps and programs meet best practice standards. As a bonus, it lists comprehensive resources to aid schools in making sure their systems and students are safe online – all of this presented in an instructive, logical voice that will make implementation straightforward.”
Entry #12691
Writing Series (series of [up to 3] articles)
CMS red icon controversy
Danielle Brown, Staff Writer
McKnights Long-Term Care News
With James M. Berklan
“These three articles are taken from a series of in-depth stories covering the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacting a nursing home “warning” program on its consumer web page. This included placing an open-palm red (stop) icon next to facilities cited with certain infractions during the prior 12 or 24 months. In crystal-clear detail, the articles chronicle the efforts of a campaign to have the federal government reevaluate the symbol. The authors show they were out in front, covering each development every step of the way which, ultimately, compelled change. (Regulators retained the logo, but added lines of clarifying language to soften the impact of the icon and what it conveys.) The writing fairly covers both sides of the hot-button issue, bringing clarity to a complex debate.”
Entrymcknights.com/news/breaking-cms-to-label-cited-n mcknights.com/news/providers-urge-changes-to-cms mcknights.com/news/debate-about-abuse-icon-is-ov
Entry #11672
Writing Series (series of [up to 3] articles)
The Employer vs. New Grad Disconnect
Dana Wilkie, writer
SHRM
“This comprehensive five-part series elucidates the growing disconnect between what college professors teach and what first-time employers expect. The author examines college degree-holders' readiness for work, what universities are teaching their students and whether employers want too much from the newest workers. The writer precisely identifies business leaders’ dissatisfaction with students’ soft skills, such as critical/creative thinking, collaboration, and interpersonal skills (including speaking and writing). On the opposing side, employers also want more hard skills such as technological expertise and practical aptitude. These dichotomies lead the author to question the four-year degree model and detail how business leaders are now collaborating with schools to develop curriculum.”
Entryshrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/employee-re
