Stanford University School of Medicine
Print and Digital Publishing: External Audience
Bronze
Stanford Medicine is a print and digital magazine published by Stanford School of Medicine’s Office of Communications to contribute to the public discourse on important biomedical issues, while building awareness of Stanford Medicine’s innovative research, clinical care, and education initiatives. Each issue features stories on a single theme featuring diverse voices of Stanford School of Medicine. We choose themes according to Stanford School of Medicine’s priorities as well as their newsworthiness. Our themes this year were: (1) “Molecules of Life: Understanding the World Within Us,” (2) “Real-World Health: How Social Factors Make or Break Us,” and (3) “Health on a Planet in Crisis: How the Environment and Health Interact.” The magazine also provides a roundup of medical news and in-depth stories highlighting topics beyond the theme. Stanford Medicine’s online edition includes additional articles and video features. The magazine’s circulation is 33,000, and its readers include medical school alumni, biomedical thought leaders, the media, donors, the Stanford School of Medicine community, and the general public. During this entry period, three issues were published, averaging 51 pages per issue.
What is one thing you learned from your entry/experience?
In-depth, high-quality stories and images serve not only the immediate readership but many other communication efforts. The magazine’s stories have been the basis for videos, social media posts, media pitches, and conversations with potential donors to the institution. As one example, our cover for our theme issue on the environment and health featured a compelling illustration of a world going up in flames from the view of a New York City-like apartment. By coincidence, the issue was published just as New York and much of the East Coast was coping with heavy air pollution from wildfire smoke. The communication team’s senior manager of media relations pitched the issue to media looking for an expert who could comment on the health implications related to the wildfire smoke, which resulted in coverage of a Stanford expert in the New York Times, “Everyday Health,” “New Mexico Political Report,” and elsewhere.
What challenge did you overcome?
Would a theme issue on the potentially dry topic of molecules leave many of our readers cold? To allay this possibility, we looked for ways to make molecules relatable. One strategy was to convey the researchers’ enthusiasm and insights, which we highlighted in the “My Favorite Molecule” article. The story described the favorite molecules of a dozen researchers, ranging from a student to a Nobelist, and it included snapshots of the researchers and their molecules. This piece served as the basis of a successful Instagram campaign with a total reach of 131,700.
Contact: Alison Peterson
alison.peterson@stanford.edu