University of Miami Medicine Magazine
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
In late March of 2020, the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine magazine team was just two weeks away from printing and shipping the second issue of our newly revived University of Miami Medicine to the printer.
COVID-19 arrived on our shores and we didn’t have one word about it in the magazine. We needed to pivot quickly as we had just six weeks to abandon the print issue, to turn the magazine around, and leverage the companion microsite as the platform to tell the story of our confrontation with COVID-19.
The magazine team made up of staff from medical communications and medical development assembled nearly 30 stories related to our pandemic response and another 30 taken from the planned print issue about our early research and clinical responses. With an animation of the coronavirus as our microsite banner, our new special report on COVID-19 offered the newest information on how our researchers were working to combat and test for the disease, accounts of the generosity, volunteer spirit and courage of students, staff, donors, and riveting stories of our health care workers and alumni who were battling the pandemic on the front lines.
What was the most impactful part of your award-winning entry?
The special report on COVID-19 with 30 new stories, assembled in six weeks, had immense impact. It offered the newest information on how the Miller School of Medicine was on the world stage, battling the pandemic on the front lines.
What is one thing you learned from this experience?
We learned that is takes a close-knit and immensely flexible team to be able to pivot like we did. We set aside expectations and kept our eyes on a product that met the needs of the moment.
What challenge did you overcome?
It was a challenge abandoning the print issue and ensuring that our magazine reflected the realities of COVID-19 and the role of the Miller School of Medicine in combating the pandemic two weeks before our original mailing date.
Contact
Priyanka Sinha, psinha@med.miami.edu