Print and Digital Publishing: External Audience - Gold
Penn Medicine Magazine
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Penn Medicine is the magazine of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and UPHS, published three times per year. Knowing our alumni physicians were being lauded as “health care heroes” at every corner and feeling pandemic-weary, in 2020-2021 we wanted to offer fresh perspectives — not ignoring COVID-19 but looking at lessons learned and next horizons. Our Fall 2020 cover story, taking a long view on the pandemic’s early months in health care, therefore narratively concluded each section with a parting thought about how COVID experiences would transform aspects of medicine beyond the pandemic. For the Winter 2021 issue, we dedicated an entire fresh feature on that same concept — but for medical education. We used historical and global stories to contextualize the current moment: Medicine has seen dark days before, and, through persistence and progress, those at the front lines of academic medicine shine the light to brighter times. And other types of epidemics — those spread by insect vectors — had ties to social determinants such as housing policy that there were opportunities to address. The latter story, too, is just one example of the ways that health equity has become a more prominent focus.
What was the most impactful part of your award-winning entry?
We emphasize “snackability” in the length and visual presentation of shorter stories to accommodate readers’ busy lifestyles. We also encourage writers to employ narrative storytelling techniques for an overall hybrid approach that provides readers a mix of appealing story types.
What challenge did you overcome?
In the context of the pandemic, we have had to continuously evaluate how any and every story reflects on COVID-19-related challenges, even if that is not the overt subject.
Contact: Rachel Ewing