Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

jseng
John
Seng

The Dr. Oz Show To Bring Mass Exposure To Rare Disease

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Yesterday, we accompanied our pro bono client, The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF), to a taping of The Dr. Oz Show at NBC Studios in New York. You know, 30 Rock.

(l-r), Genetics Expert Jeffrey Innis, MD, PhD, Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan; Television’s Dr. Oz; John Seng, President, Spectrum

(From left to right) Genetics Expert Jeffrey Innis, MD, PhD, Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan; Television’s Dr. Oz; John Seng, President, Spectrum

Spectrum has worked closely with PRF since 2003 to raise awareness of Progeria, a rare, and thus far incurable disease that causes rapid aging among children. Most children live no longer than 20 years. (more...)

Posted in Disease Awareness, Public Health, Research
By John Seng | 2 Comments »

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Spectrum

Spectrum Shows Conclusive Results with Digital Strategy: Online Advertising As a Sole Communication Tactic Successfully Influences Niche Audiences

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Washington, D.C. - Spectrum, a full service communications firm based in Washington, D.C., announced today landmark findings from a recent women's reproductive health campaign that reveal definitive proof that online advertising, when used as an exclusive communications vehicle, has the power to impact audience opinions and awareness levels.

"Online advertising has always been considered a supplement or component of a larger communications strategy," said Katherine Maynard, Chief Operating Officer of Spectrum. "The results of this campaign are groundbreaking for the online ad industry because we now have empirical evidence that this medium is as versatile and powerful as television, radio and print."

Spectrum partnered with Chong + Koster for this campaign and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association to develop the program aimed at raising awareness of family building options, such as embryo donation. The campaign was funded with a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Initial testing and market research showed lackluster potential for reaching the target audience of women 25-55 through traditional public service announcements and earned media outreach. (more...)

Posted in New Media, PR Industry, Public Health, Research, Uncategorized
By Spectrum | No Comments »

 
MollyHippolitus
Molly
Hippolitus

Pres. Obama Pledged to End Hunger by 2015… We’ve Got 5 Years

Friday, January 29th, 2010

During campaign season, Obama promised to tackle domestic hunger. He made a pledge to "strengthen and expand nutrition assistance programs and commit to ending childhood hunger by 2015." The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is holding Obama to his word.

Tuesday morning I attended FRAC's Hill briefing on "food hardship" (lacking money to buy enough food) in the U.S. The nonprofit organization works to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to "eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States."

For the first time, data that truly capture the extent of hunger in America, was unveiled. The report revealed nearly one in five American households ran out of money to buy enough food at least once during 2009. FRAC President, Jim Weill, along with Rep. Jim McGovern (MA), presented the data with the hope of igniting fire in the belly of our government, by helping policy leaders understand the "depth and breadth" of hunger in America. (more...)

Posted in Community Involvement, Food Policy and Nutrition, Public Affairs, Research
By MollyHippolitus | 1 Comment »

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Allison Brown
Allison
Brown

Part III: Public Health in Philadelphia

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

APHA Explores Food and Physical Fitness

The 137th Annual American Public Health Association (APHA) Meeting is bustling in Philly.  The Spectrum team continues to explore panels, sessions and posters to learn the latest in public health.

Food and Fitness in Focus

During this morning's sessions at APHA, Linda Jo Doctor, MPH from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation hosted a discussion at the "Youth Involvement in Community-based Participatory Research Projects" roundtable. She spoke about multiple initiatives aimed at engaging community members to produce real health outcomes.

Both the Food and Fitness and The School Food FOCUS initiatives are working to increase access to and bring affordable, regionally grown and nutritious food options to communities and schools throughout the country. In addition, the Food and Fitness program is collaborating with organizations in nine communities to create sustainable "fitness" environments for community members to become active. (more...)

Posted in Public Affairs, Public Health, Research, Uncategorized
By Allison Brown | No Comments »

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Christina Plourde
Christina
Plourde

Part II: Public Health in Philadelphia

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Today was the first full day of sessions and posters at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.  Our Spectrum team spread through the conference and heard some interesting things, including:

Menu Labeling and Policy

In a session on menu labeling in New York City, Portland, and Seattle, research and policies were compared.  The Spectrum blog has previously written about research conducted in NYC.   The session started off with a discussion about why menu labeling is important; James Krieger asked the room to guess how many calories are in a variety of fast food meals, ranging from Burger King to Pizza Hut.  The Pizza Hut Cream Chicken Alfredo Pesto Pasta has a startling 3,270 calories per serving.  That's nearly double the recommended calories for adults in an entire day.

There are currently 16 jurisdictions that have passed and/ or are currently implementing menu labeling initiatives.  Additionally, the health reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday evening includes a menu labeling provision, which would preempt any state and local legislation.  The provision would only require calorie information to be posted, unlike some jurisdictions where fat, sodium, and other nutritional information is made available. (more...)

Posted in Health Policy, Public Affairs, Research, Technology, Tweets, Uncategorized
By Christina Plourde | No Comments »

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CMorrison
Catherine
Morrison

Part I: Public Health in Philadelphia

Monday, November 9th, 2009

The 137th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo has kicked off in Philadelphia! Three Spectrum team members have joined over 10,000 physicians, administrators, nurses, educators, researchers, and other public health practitioners. This year's meeting is "Water & Public Health," with many sessions focused on water conservation and pollution issues. 09_logo_4color

Among a powerful line-up of speakers, Sunday's opening session featured EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and the newly confirmed U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin. Jackson fired up the crowd by saying the public health community is the most dedicated group of environmentalists. Dr. Benjamin spoke about the importance of prevention "at all levels," and the role water can play in a person's health - just as important, she said, as a prescription.

After the opening session, we visited The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future's booth (1652), where live tweets are broadcasting on a screen using the hashtag #APHA09.

So far, we've attended section events for Population, Reproduction, and Sexual Health and Food & Nutrition. There will be so much more to come so make sure to follow us on Twitter to get live updates about what is going on the conference: @Allisonrbrown & @Kate_Morrison & @Plourde

-Allison Brown, Kate Morrison, and Christina Plourde

Posted in Health Policy, Public Affairs, Public Health, Research, Technology, Tweets
By CMorrison | No Comments »

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