University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
Print and Digital Publishing: Single or Special Issue
Bronze
Visionaries is a digital and print storytelling campaign highlighting powerhouse faculty members who are driving the mission of University of Texas (UT) at Austin Dell Medical School.
Since the school was established in 2014, following a landmark vote by Austin residents to raise taxes in support of building a medical school, more than 435 doctors have been attracted to central Texas to join Dell Med’s mission in transforming health care, supported by the foundation of a Tier 1 research institution.
By helping audiences connect with eleven individual Dell Med leaders, whose accomplishments and areas of focus span pediatric heart surgery, abdominal transplant, brain-computer interface research, innovative medical education, and more, our primary goal was to elevate the early impact of our faculty to the UT campus community, understanding the driving forces that these new faculty members are bringing to the university and to Austin as a whole. We also sought to raise awareness of strategic areas of focus and impact for Austin community members, who are now living in the 10th largest city in the United States.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
The powerful stories and accomplishments of each faculty visionary largely speak for themselves. For example, one faculty member, who has pioneered fetal surgery since the 1980s, spoke of a patient who at one time might never have walked due to spina bifida but went on to play in Little League, thanks to his surgical team’s intervention while the patient was still in utero.
But painting the larger, exciting picture of what the future holds for health care in Austin was the real point of impact. With leaders like our featured visionaries continually being attracted here, new prospects for health and access to care are limitless: A baby born in Austin can now have a heart transplant right here at home. Researchers collaborating with renowned engineers and scientists at UT Austin are uncovering ways in which brain-computer interfaces can change the lives of millions of people — and they now have a clinical partner to help bring their work to real patients.
Visionaries allows us to take a snapshot in time of what has already been done, and what’s in store for Austin and beyond for health care.
What challenge did you overcome?
Dell Med is still growing its audience base — we matriculated our first class in 2016, with only 50 students per class. Despite a limited audience base with direct connection to the school, we found success through external email and social media campaigns, reaching the campus and local community audiences we sought to engage.
Contact: Hannah Jane DeCiutiis Collins
hannahjane@austin.utexas.edu