Experts Matter. Find Yours.

West Grove Campus Awarded $2.5M Grant from Chester County for Capital Improvement Projects

Funds earmarked for information technology, medical equipment and facility upgrades The ChristianaCare West Grove campus has received a $2.5 million American Rescue Fund Plan Act (ARPA) grant from the Chester County Government for capital improvement projects related to information technology, medical equipment and facility renovation. ChristianaCare finalized the purchase of its West Grove campus (formerly Jennersville Hospital) from Tower Health in June 2022. The hospital has been closed since Dec. 31, 2021. “We are enormously grateful to the Chester County Commissioners for this generous grant,” said Douglas Azar, MHA, ChristianaCare senior vice president, Strategic Clinical Integration. “Our assessment and inventory of the facility indicate that while it contains some usable equipment, including hospital beds and some imaging and diagnostic equipment, there is a lot of work to be done in many key areas. For example, the building currently contains no information technology infrastructure and no laboratory equipment. This funding will provide much-needed help as we build out these critical areas,” he said. “This grant is a tremendous resource as we plan next steps for the West Grove campus,” said Heather Farley, M.D., MHCDS, FACEP, ChristianaCare’s co-lead for the campus development strategy. “Ensuring that the facility has the very best technology and medical equipment will enable us to provide expert care to our neighbors in southern Chester County for many years to come.” The Chester County Commissioners approved ARPA grants to 73 groups and organizations totaling close to $40 million last month, following recommendations by six independent review teams. The teams, comprised of county residents and county government staff, developed a system that followed ARPA guidelines to review proposals and address priorities for funding. “These funds represent a substantial investment in much-needed local programs and services including support for public health,” said County Commissioners’ Chair Marian Moskowitz. “Being able to financially assist ChristianaCare as they work toward bringing hospital services back to southern Chester County firmly met ARPA guidelines and was very important to us.” (From left) Bettina Tweardy Riveros, Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Community Engagement at ChristianaCare, Marian Moskowitz, Chair of the Board of Commissioners of Chester County, Michelle Kichline, Chester County Commissioner, Heather Farley, M.D., MHCDS, FACEP, ChristianaCare’s co-lead for the campus development strategy and Douglas Azar, MHA, ChristianaCare senior vice president, Strategic Clinical Integration Commissioner Josh Maxwell added that “when ChristianaCare stepped up to take over Jennersville Hospital and bring health care services back to the county, we pledged to support them in those efforts in ways that we, as county government, can. The ARPA program has provided us with the opportunity to fulfill that pledge, with funding that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive.” ChristianaCare is reimagining health care at the West Grove campus and is taking a phased approach to the opening of services. The first phase will be to re-establish emergency services. Subsequent phases are still under consideration. Due to required facility upgrades and plan development, it is unlikely that any services will open within the next 12 months. Since June, Azar, Farley and others at ChristianaCare have participated in meetings and listening sessions with community leaders and small groups to gain input into planning for services at the campus. They have met with local and state government officials, school officials, chambers of commerce, nonprofit organizations, emergency responders, faith leaders and employers in the area. Commissioner Michelle Kichline noted the correlation between ChristianaCare’s focus on meeting community needs and the county’s focus on community involvement in the ARPA grant review process. “Having county residents involved in reviewing and recommending our ARPA applications has been exciting and rewarding,” she said. “They know their local communities best and evaluated and selected projects that address needs across the county. “We know that ChristianaCare is doing the same and see the $2.5 million ARPA grant as a smart investment in restoring crucial health care services to our residents.” The West Grove campus represents a significant expansion and commitment of ChristianaCare to provide health services to communities in southern Chester County. Since 2020, ChristianaCare has added three primary care practices located in Jennersville, West Grove and Kennett Square. Combined, these three practices are now the “medical home” for 22,000 residents in these communities.

MEDIA RELEASE: CAA Manitoba celebrates School Safety Patrols at first-ever virtual event!

Winnipeg, MB, June 18, 2020 – The CAA School Safety Patrol (SSP) Team hosted its first-ever virtual ‘Patroller Jam’ on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 via Event Stream. This year-end celebration honoured the commitment of all Manitoba and Ontario Patrollers in a safe and innovative way. CAA Manitoba is proud to recognize the efforts and achievements of School Safety Patrollers across the province for their dedication to keeping children safe on their way to and from school and in school zones. “These students go above and beyond to keep their community safe and we wanted to ensure we still recognized them despite the pandemic. This event was an amazing way to celebrate these dedicated kids and all that they’ve done this school year,” says Heather Mack, manager of government and community relations, CAA Manitoba. The event was a great success with co-hosts DJ, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer and choreographer, Boneless, entertaining the 1300 patrollers who tuned in! The event also included a live chat, interactive games and an award ceremony. Click here for a highlight reel of the CAA ‘Patroller Jam’ for your coverage. For 84 years the CAA Manitoba SSP program has been keeping students safe. Approximately 300 schools and over 8,000 students participate in the CAA School Safety Patrol program in Manitoba each year. The program is a colloboration between CAA, the police, school boards, teachers, program partners, parents and students. Those involved give their time to ensure students and peers are safe at road crossings throughout Manitoba. During the ‘Patroller Jam’, CAA Manitoba, in partnership with the Winnipeg Police Service - School Engagement Section, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) and the Manitoba Moose Hockey Club, announced the recipients of three Patroller awards: City Wide Placing-- Clifton School Most Improved School-- École Précieux-Sang Louise Staples Award Recipient—Remington L. from Stevenson-Britannia School For more information, visit www.schoolpatrolmanitoba.com.

Aston University joins Birmingham Health Partners alliance

Aston University becomes second university member to join Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) BHP brings together excellence from University of Birmingham and four regional NHS trusts The alliance brings together translational medicine, encompassing health data and academic excellence. Aston University has joined Birmingham Health Partners (BHP), becoming the second university to join the city’s university-NHS partnership. BHP brings together academic, clinical and translational excellence from the University of Birmingham, Aston University and four regional NHS trusts: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust; Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust; and more recently Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, the Royal Orthopaedic NHS Foundation Trust, as well as the regional Academic Health Science Network. BHP is known for its unique ecosystem which enables a full spectrum of translational medicine: encompassing health data, an established local health system, academic excellence and an extensive clinical trials capability – to help bring about answers to complex healthcare issues for the direct benefit of people worldwide. Aston University will be represented at board level by Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University. While Professor Anthony Hilton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor & Executive Dean College of the College of Health and Life Sciences will join the executive group of BHP. Professor Hilton said: “We are excited to join BHP because it gives Aston University the chance to develop cross institutional collaborations under one umbrella of BHP. It provides an important forum for engagement with our regional NHS trusts and beneficiaries for both research, education and knowledge exchange. “We are keen to see how the alliance will support the funding of future research, enabling us to share innovation at the boundaries of each institutional expertise. “By having a unified West Midlands approach, we can harness key skills, expertise and our resources to have an impact on health in the region.” Managing Director at BHP, John Williams said: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome Aston University to be part of Birmingham Health Partners. “Alongside our NHS partners we will make use of our shared capabilities as employers, educators and researchers to positively impact the health and economic growth of our region."

Aston University and Partnership Medical shortlisted for knowledge transfer partnership award

Aston University and Partnership Medical (PML) have been shortlisted for an award at the KTP Awards 2022. The partnership has been shortlisted in the category of Best Knowledge Transfer Partnership for its work on a revolutionary automated cleaning system which uses synthetic chemistry to sterilise endoscopes, reducing risks of contamination to patients and lowering rates of mortality. A knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) is a three-way collaboration between a business, an academic partner and a highly qualified researcher , known as a KTP associate. The UK-wide programme helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Aston University is the leading KTP provider within the Midlands. The KTP Awards recognise the people and partnerships behind the UK’s most inspiring and successful KTP projects. At present there are more than 800 inspiring collaborations happening across the country. Endoscopes are long, thin tubes with a light and camera at one end. Due to the sensitivity of the materials and electronics they cannot be sterilised, opening up high potential for cross infection. Through their automated cleaning system, Aston University and PML achieved industry-leading levels of disinfection, reducing risks of contamination to patients and lowering rates of mortality. The automated prototype and new cleaning materials developed in the KTP produced astonishing results in clinical trials, with a simple five-minute treatment offering deep cleaning levels 1,000 times better than anticipated, providing hygiene levels far superior to those currently possible using conventional manual procedures Mark Smith, executive director of business and regional engagement at Aston University, said: "It’s truly wonderful that Aston University has been formally recognised as a sector leader for knowledge transfer programmes, reflecting the scale and quality of our work with business. Making the shortlist is a recognition of our continued growth and sustained achievements in the knowledge exchange area. “The Aston University and Partnership Medical project has resulted in a far more effective medical cleaning system that ensures that endoscopes are truly sterile, which will ultimately save lives. This is just one example of the University’s real-world support for businesses and their customers. “It is an honour to be considered for best KTP at such a prestigious event, especially when knowledge exchange activity is at a high, with over 800 collaborations happening across the UK.” Partnership Medical Ltd (PML), based in Stoke-on-Trent, are specialists in supplying cleaning equipment and consumables for flexible endoscopes with over 20 years of distributor experience. The company aims to become a leading manufacturer/provider for endoscopic departments in clinics and hospitals worldwide. The Aston University team who worked on the KTP included Dr Andy Sutherland, reader in organic chemistry and member of the Aston Institute of Materials Research, Dr Tony Worthington, associate professor in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases and member of the Biosciences Research Group together with KTP associate, Dr Thien Duong, an expert in synthetic chemistry. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 12 October in Liverpool and will be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.

Building Your Own Expert Network - How Expert Personas Help you Organize & Develop Your Talent Pool

As business continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate, companies need new ideas and strategies that help them rapidly transform to keep pace and grow. This explains the massive popularity that expert networks are having as companies look to connect with subject-matter experts with specialized sector and functional expertise who can accelerate their transformation efforts. Expert networks now represent a multi-billion dollar industry, helping companies in a variety of ways. From helping build primary research to assessing new market or acquisition opportunities to conducting due diligence for new technology purchases or competitive benchmarking, expert networks provide a valuable service. While many companies are increasing their use of traditional expert networks, there is also a trend toward organizing and developing internal talent by implementing a "knowledge management platform" or "employee skills marketplace." These can also be extended to engage broader audiences when experts are listed publicly as part of an Expert Center, Media Room, or Speakers Bureau. Depending on the scope and market visibility organizations wish to commit to in sharing their expertise, such programs can yield the following benefits: Improved access to shared knowledge throughout the organization Faster innovation through an improved discovery of key experts available for project opportunities Higher amount of cross-functional engagement between departments A more collaborative relationship with employees through better knowledge engagement and skills development Less reliance on outside consultants and traditional expert networks Improved brand reputation by engaging experts in thought leadership activities Increased media coverage and speaking engagements Improved business development opportunities by engaging experts earlier in the sales process Improved connection with the local community Additional ways to foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion throughout the organization What is an expert network? An expert network is a service that matches clients with experts who are willing to share their knowledge and advice via short conversations. These are usually in the form one hour long expert interviews conducted with the client. Expert networks such as GLG, AlphaSights, Guidepoint Global, Third Bridge, and Coleman Research help match the client's interest to specific experts in their private database of experts on call. They also look after logistics such as scheduling the expert interviews and have detailed processes for qualifying experts to ensure compliance with the exchange of information. And they handle time tracking and billing of interviews which are typically charged based on an hourly rate. They also handle the payment of fees to the experts following the interview. Building your own knowledge platform There is a growing trend towards organizing their expertise given the profound challenges organizations are facing. And these challenges didn’t just start when the pandemic hit. In a recent Deloitte survey, 63% of executives reported that work in their organizations is currently being performed in teams or projects outside of people’s core job descriptions, 81% say work is increasingly performed across functional boundaries, and 36% say work is increasingly being performed by workers outside of the organization who don’t have defined jobs in the organization at all. Yet fewer than half (42%) of respondents say their organization’s job descriptions do an “excellent job” of specifying the work that needs to be done in their positions. As work becomes far more fluid, packaging skills into rigid job descriptions leads to a lot of untapped human capital in organizations. It’s an issue that hasn’t gone unnoticed by leadership. Research shows that only 18% of executives strongly agree that their workforce is using their skills and capabilities to their fullest potential. 85% of HR and business executives say organizations should create more agile ways of organizing work to improve speed and swiftly adapt to market changes. These issues underscore the need to better organize and develop internal talent by implementing a "knowledge management platform" or "employee skills marketplace." This is for a variety of reasons. With vast amounts of acquired knowledge pooled across various departments and teams, it can be difficult for other employees to access this knowledge when it is outside their area of expertise - as the old saying goes, “people don't know what they don't know.” Organizing your expertise for external audiences also can provide huge benefits for building reputation, relationships, and revenues. How to position your experts as industry thought leaders More and more organizations are looking at employees who can advance their innovation efforts internally, often as part of a cross-functional team or special project. And there are also important revenue-generating activities, such as sharing research and perspectives through content generation (blogging, webinars, podcasting) or speaking (at internal events, industry conferences, or as an expert source for media interviews). Determining how to best identify and put experts to work isn't a simple process. That's because to do this right requires a more disciplined approach to assessing and developing the talent across your organization. One that goes beyond linear career paths and traditional job titles we assign to employees. It also requires a more progressive approach to diversity and experience. One that is not simply correlated to seniority or authority in an organization. Given the current state of the talent market, most organizations are also recognizing the importance of managing their talent, listening more to employees, and helping them achieve their goals - both professional and personal. And that extends to how best to tap into their skills that can benefit the organization both internally and externally. That's why we developed a talent framework that helps identify opportunities where subject-matter experts can best contribute as well as potential options for professional development. To make this process more intuitive, we have developed a model that outlines 4 "expert personas" that detail the various characteristics related to experts in an organization along with a potential development path. Level 1: Experts in the "Practitioner" persona group can offer their organizations a wide range of skills. Our research and in-field experience with companies focused on innovation reveals that organizations can realize significant gains by tapping into this broad pool of talent. To better engage practitioners, we have helped universities better engage their Ph.D. candidates who are approaching graduation to conduct research and writing content that promotes their work and institutional brand to prospective students or donors. This also extends to corporate innovation. A recent example of this was our collaboration with a Fortune 500 company in the CPG sector, where we completed the build of an internal expert network. One of the key challenges this organization faced was the inability to quickly engage with “practitioners” - subject-matter experts across the organization who could help with specific R&D and innovation projects. While this organization had legacy HR and intranet communication platforms, they had experienced a number of challenges engaging their researchers. To make things worse the pandemic forced many to work from home, creating the need for more opportunities to engage online. They needed the ability to conduct simple searches to find other researchers relevant to their work who could help them with projects. Our research/writing team started the process by taking an inventory of experts and then developed profiles for each researcher in collaboration with the company’s research/innovation team using the ExperFile SaaS software platform. With the unique data structure used to categorize this broader set of biographical information, we then enabled advanced search capabilities to build a private, SOC2 (security) compliant expert network which was easily integrated into their existing talent platforms. With thousands of researchers across the globe, they now have the ability to quickly search for experts on areas such as skills, topics, work experience, research publications, company/industry experience and IP/patents. It’s important to note that activating all this hidden expertise not only lays the groundwork for faster innovation. It also can reduce the fees associated with outside expert networks and consultants, maintains tighter internal control of proprietary research information and forges stronger collaborations between experts across the globe. Level 2: The "Ambassador" category represents experts with a more developed set of skills and a reputation both inside their organization and within their community of practice. Working with them to generate more exposure through internal speaking engagements and within their local community is a great way to create market visibility. For example, we have worked with a number of professional services firms to make experts at this level more visible in their local markets. Building reputation and generating new client opportunities with thought leadership activities such as blogging, webinars and speaking at local business events or on podcasts is a proven way to tap into this talent. These activities have allowed organizations we have worked with to bring in new clients and increase revenues across various practice areas. Ambassadors are also perfect for involvement in on-campus recruitment events where competition for talent is high. Particularly in fields such as engineering, law and accounting. One way to make these experts more approachable to a wider audience is by creating a speaker’s bureau. Remember that not all your experts will be comfortable speaking to the media, however, they can still meaningfully contribute as a keynote speaker or panelist at an event. Organizing your experts on key topics enables local event and conference organizers to find you more easily in Google search results and on your website. In addition to getting your experts on the podium, it’s a proven way to get your expert's guest appearances on webinars and podcasts. Given the growing importance of these channels, we recently formed partnerships with the leading marketplaces for webinars and podcasts - BrightTalk and Podchaser to help our clients promote their experts for speaking opportunities. Level 3: Experts in the "Authority" category have developed a strong reputation as an expert in their field, often speaking at academic or industry conferences. At this level, they have also developed a degree of proficiency in speaking as an expert source with the local or national media. They can be found speaking as a guest on podcasts to share their knowledge and are often active on social media. In higher education, these people are critical to helping media relations and other departments generate media coverage that is essential to building a reputation. We have worked with many organizations that effectively engage their Authorities by staying connected to their research and publications and collaboratively creating regular content with them to reach a broader audience. You will find regular opportunities to boost coverage with local and national media by utilizing this group of experts. We work with media teams to conduct Google Search (SEO) analysis to identify what topics their target audiences are searching for. This allows them to more strategically focus on key experts to promote. They are also focused on delivering more engaging content formats such as video interviews and Q&A to boost Google PageRank and audience engagement across their website. And they are working collaboratively with their faculty to post media advisories and a regular stream of content that contributes to higher rates of discovery by journalists looking for expert sources. Level 4: Experts in the "Evangelist" category are those go-to experts that you often see in the media as key spokespeople representing a certain topic. They are seen as notable authorities with deep domain expertise within their community of practice which has often been earned through heavy research and publications. Chances are they have also authored books that provide a path to speaking engagements at conferences and media interviews. These are also the people who have developed a regular audience through blogging or by hosting a podcast and have a well-established social media following. Ultimately, what separates this group from the others is the significantly broader market profile they have earned as a thought leader. These individuals have an intuitive sense of how to communicate complex topics in a relatable way that both educates and engages. That makes them particularly valuable to the organizations whose brands they represent. Given the degree of qualifications required to operate at this level, it’s to be expected that you will find far fewer “evangelist” category experts in any organization. Many are naturally found within the ranks of the executive team. These are the people who are comfortable in interviews, and most have extensive public speaking experience appearing on a large stage and on radio and television. At this level, organizations need to be far more strategic about how they utilize this talent pool to build a reputation and reach a wider audience. We have seen first-hand how strategic thought leadership programs can build a platform for these experts that can pay huge dividends. One healthcare system we have worked with recently forged a relationship with ABC News to feature one of their medical experts (a medical doctor) on a weekly segment related to important Covid-related health topics. Given the frequent appearances this expert has made on television, this was an earned media home run and a great way for this healthcare system to build visibility and trust within the community by providing accurate medical information. Their commitment to making their medical experts more discoverable and approachable online has also helped them promote their strengths in areas such as cardiology, neonatal, cancer, and genetic research. And the results are impressive. Over the past year, they have doubled their national media coverage and are currently outperforming much larger healthcare systems in their area. How to organize your experts Personas by their very nature are designed to provide a more standardized approach for planning using "clusters" of talent that are grouped against common characteristics. However, we're very aware that they cannot possibly capture all the nuances you will find within your organization when it comes to talent. But our experience helping leading organizations in knowledge-based industries to better manage thousands of experts shows that having a more methodical approach pays off. It optimizes the internal/external contributions and the development paths of experts to create win-win opportunities. but it also helps forge a stronger connection with employees who feel their organization is taking the development of their professional skills more seriously and more actively creating avenues for them to engage and contribute. With an understanding of these personas, we can then focus on another important consideration - where can we best engage our experts to more effectively tap into their skills inside and outside the organization? To help answer that question, we developed a "Talent Assessment Grid" (TAG) that helps you identify key areas where each of these personas can contribute. As a planning tool, it's meant to provide a more organized approach that helps you assess your bench strength and create a more tangible system for measuring progress over time in areas such as skills development or contributions to cross-functional innovation projects or outside industry consulting. Playing to the individual strengths these experts have while moving them out of their comfort zone to develop additional skills also yields additional marketing benefits. Contributing content; speaking at conferences or community events or to the media are proven ways to build market visibility, establish trust and generate revenues - and experts play a vital role in this process. A thriving network where knowledge is easily discoverable inside an organization and strategically shared outside in the community and beyond can make a huge difference in boosting innovation and culture. When properly promoted, these experts will also help you grow your reputation, relationships, and revenues. Although this process requires commitment, it positions you to be more agile and outperform your competition by ensuring you are optimizing every employee’s true potential and making them more discoverable both inside and outside the organization. How are you putting your expert talent to work? Do you have a process you use today for identifying and engaging your experts? We would like to hear from you. For more insights on how you can organize your experts online to support your internal knowledge management or promote them to a wider audience, visit us at https://expertfile.com/resources to learn more.

Are You an Expert? Here’s How to Tell

Have you ever wondered whether or not you are an expert? When asked this question about what defines expertise, you will hear a variety of answers. Many will reference key requirements such as an expert must have extensive knowledge in their field. Others will see education, published work, or years of experience as key qualifiers. Yet there are so many other dimensions of expertise that contribute to how visible, influential and authoritative they are within their community of practice or with the general public. Who Qualifies as an Expert? I started looking closer at this topic for two reasons. The first is my personal work with experts. Having worked with thousands of them across a variety of sectors I've observed that many are driven to develop themselves professionally as an expert to meet a variety of objectives. Often these are focused on raising one's profile and reputation among peers or with the broader market to inform the public. Some see media coverage being an essential part of their strategy while others are more interested in developing a larger audience for their research or client work, by speaking at conferences or on podcasts. Others have a focus on improving their PageRank on search engines. All these activities can enable important objectives such as attracting new clients, research funding or talent. The second reason for this deeper dive into expertise is a need to better organize how we look at experts within organizations. My work with communications departments in knowledge-based sectors reveals that they are keen to learn more about how they can better engage their experts to build reputation, relationships and revenue. However, better engagement starts with a better understanding of what qualifies someone as an expert - what attributes can we objectively look at that define expertise? With that knowledge, we can first better appreciate the amount of work experts have put into establishing themselves in their field. Then organizations can nurture this expertise in a more collaborative way to accomplish shared goals. My observation is that with a little more insight, empathy, and alignment, both experts and their organizations can accomplish incredible things together. And there has never been a more important time for experts to "show their smarts." By definition, an expert is someone with comprehensive or authoritative knowledge in a particular area of study. While formal education and certifications are a starting point for expertise, many disciplines don’t have a set list of criteria to measure expertise against. It’s also important to recognize other dimensions of expertise that relate not just to the working proficiency in a field but also to the degree of influence and authority they have earned within their profession or community of practice. Because of this, expertise is often looked at as a person’s cumulative training, skills, research and experience. What are the Key Attributes of Expertise? In evaluating your accomplishments and the various ways you can contribute as an expert to both your community of practice and the public, here are some key questions that can help you assess how you are developing your expertise: Have you completed any formal education or gained relevant experience to achieve proficiency in your chosen field? Are you actively building knowledge in a specific discipline or practice area by providing your services as an expert? Are you generating unique insights through your research or fieldwork? Are you publishing your work to establish your reputation and reach a broader audience such as publications or books? Are you teaching in the classroom or educating and inspiring audiences through speaking at conferences? Do you demonstrate a commitment to impact your community of practice and help advance your field and generate an impact on society by informing the public? Have you established a reputation as a go-to source for well-informed, unique perspectives? Some Additional Tips to Help you Develop Your Expertise To further the discussion, I’ve also shared further thoughts about the meaning of “expertise”. As you think about developing your own personal skills, or if you are a communicator who is responsible for engaging with your organizations experts, here are a few additional principles to keep in mind. Experts Aren't Focused on Some“Magic Number” Related to Hours of Experience Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” (2008), outlined the now famous “10,000-hour rule” as the magic number of greatness for the time it takes to master a given field. As the rule goes, you could become a genuine expert in a field with approximately 10,000 hours of practice — roughly 3 hours a day, every day for a consecutive decade. But is that what it really takes to become an expert? But is that what it really takes to become an expert? Or did Gladwell oversimplify the concept of expertise? Some of his assumptions for “Outliers” (which became a major bestseller) relied on research from Dr. Anders Ericsson at Florida State University who made expertise the focus of his research career. Contrary to how Gladwell outlined it, Ericsson argued that the way a person practised mattered just as much, if not more, than the amount of time they committed to their discipline. It also depends on the field of research or practice one is involved in. Some disciplines take decades to achieve expertise and many experts will admit they are just scratching the surface of what they are studying, well after they have passed the 10,000-hour mark. That might be just the first stage of proficiency for some disciplines. Experts are Continuously Learning It’s difficult to claim proficiency as an expert if you are not staying current in your field. The best experts are constantly scouring new research and best practices. Dr. Anders Ericsson observed in his work that "deliberate practice" is an essential element of expertise. His reasoning was that one simply won’t progress as an expert unless they push their limits. Many experts aren’t satisfied unless they are going beyond their comfort zone, opening up new pathways of research, focusing on their weaknesses, and broadening their knowledge and skills through avenues such as peer review, speaking, and teaching. The deliberate practice occurred “at the edge of one’s comfort zone” and involved setting specific goals, focusing on technique, and obtaining immediate feedback from a teacher or mentor. Experts Apply their Knowledge to Share Unique Perspectives While many experts conduct research, simply reciting facts isn't enough. Those who can provide evidence-based perspectives, that objectively accommodate and adapt to new information will have more impact. Expertise is also about developing unique, informed perspectives that challenge the status quo, which can at times be controversial. Experts know that things change. But they don’t get caught up in every small detail in ways that prevent them from seeing the whole picture. They don't immediately rush toward new ideas. They consider historical perspectives and patterns learned from their research that provide more context for what's happening today. And these experts have the patience and wisdom to validate their perspectives with real evidence. That's why expert sources are so valuable for journalists when they research stories. The perspectives they offer are critical to countering the misinformation and uninformed opinions found on social media. Experts Connect with a Broader Audience Many experts are pushing past traditional communication formats, using more creative and visual ways to translate their research into a wider audience. We conducted research with academics in North America and in Europe who are trying to balance their research (seen in traditional peer-reviewed journals) with other work such as blogs, social media, podcasts and conferences such as TEDx - all with the goal to bring their work to a wider audience. While that's an essential part of public service, it pays dividends for the expert and the organization they represent. Experts Are Transparent More than ever, credible experts are in demand. The reason for this is simple. They inspire trust. And the overnight success some have seemingly achieved has come from decades of work in the trenches. They have a proven record that is on display and they make it easy to understand how they got there. They don't mask their credentials or their affiliations as they didn't take shortcuts. They understand that transparency is a critical part of being seen as credible. Experts Don’t Take “Fake It Till You Make It” Shortcuts The phrase “fake it till you make it,” is a personal development mantra that speaks to how one can imitate confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, and realize those qualities in real life. While this pop psychology construct can be helpful for inspiring personal development, it gets problematic when it becomes a strategy for garnering trust with a broader audience to establish some degree of authority - especially when this inexperience causes harm to others who may be influenced by what they see. When self-appointed experts take shortcuts, promoting themselves as authorities on social media without the requisite research or experience, this blurs the lines of expertise and erodes the public trust. Experts Are Generous The best experts are excited about the future of their field, and that translates to helping others become experts too. That's why many openly share their valuable time, through speaking, teaching and mentorship. In the end, they understand that these activities are essential to developing the scale and momentum necessary to tackle the important issues of the day. How Do You Show your Smarts? How do you personally score on this framework? Or if you are in a corporate communications or academic affairs role in an institution how does this help you better understand your experts so you can better develop your internal talent and build your organization’s reputation? As always we welcome your comments as we further refine this and other models related to expertise. Let us know what you think. Helpful Resources Download our Academic Experts and the Media (PDF) This report, based on detailed interviews with some of the most media-experienced academics across the UK and United States draws on their experiences to identify lessons they can share in encouraging other academics to follow in their path. Download the UK Report Here Download the US Report Here The Complete Guide to Expertise Marketing for Higher Education (PDF) Expertise Marketing is the next evolution of content marketing. Build value by mobilizing the hidden people, knowledge and content you already have at your fingertips. This win-win solution not only gives audiences better quality content, but it also lets higher ed organizations show off their smarts. Download Your Copy

Beyond the Media Pitch: How to Secure Better Coverage in Today’s Noisy Market

At our webinar earlier this month, we were joined by Wilf Dinnick, a communications and media professional with more than 25 years of global experience as a journalist working in national broadcast, digital and early-stage startups. Wilf has covered major stories for news networks including ABC News, CNN, CBC News and Al Jazeera and is a past winner of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. This vast experience on both sides of the camera has given him a keen understanding of what it takes to secure media coverage in today’s environment. Here are 3 key takeaways you missed: #1 The Odds of your Media Pitch Resulting in Coverage are Disappointingly Low - And the Trend is Not Good Wilf Dinnick discussed the sobering stats from a study of over 400,000 pitches conducted by Propel media that reveal that only ⅓ of emails sent to journalists are opened. But equally disappointing is the fact that only 3% of pitches result in coverage and this trend appears to be continuing. What Dinnick went on to explain is that “journalists see many pitches as an interruption as most fail to clearly demonstrate relevance to the stories they want to publish for their audience. #2 Journalists are Busier than Ever. So You Need to Connect with Them In Places they are Going for Story Ideas and Expert Sources Dinnick also shared some important data that reveals how journalists are spending their time. Where they get their story ideas and how they search for experts. This helps explain the diminishing rate of return on traditional media pitches. For instance, Twitter remains dominant as a platform used by journalists to quickly discover trending stories. So making your story ideas more discoverable with appropriate hashtags on social is an important way to promote your experts in the flow of the conversation as a story is breaking or emerging. Wilf also highlighted the importance of dialling into the daily news cycle by looking in the same areas journalists are going for their ideas. The latest research reveals that journalists find newspapers and magazines most valuable. Why? Sites such as the Washington Post, CNN, BBC, New York Times and Axios are well funded and resourced to develop the longer format, well-researched stories. They often focus on exclusive stories and break important news that is echoed through other outlets. And they set the pace of the news cycle as it echos through regional news outlets where journalists look to localize the story for their audiences. Closely monitoring these sites allows you to be in touch with the key stories and offer clear value to journalists, by offering your experts who can help explain key developments in the context of their research or localize the story for a regional audience. #3 There are Ways to Beat the Odds and Improve your Media Coverage by Following Proven Best Practices When Pitching Despite the poor odds when pitching journalists, there is hope for media relations and PR pros. Dinnick unpacked a number of important best practices that can substantially improve your odds. Drawing on research from a number of media organizations that track journalist engagement, he laid out a number of guidelines that you should be following when putting together your media pitches. Some of these included: Timing Your Pitch Journalists are more receptive to pitches early in the day between the hours of 5am and 11am. This is when the stories are breaking and work is being assigned - and journalists are looking for expert sources. Also, there is evidence that pitching earlier in the week on a Monday or Tuesday yields better results. Keeping it Brief The research Dinnick presented on the profound changes that have been happening in Newsrooms and the overload that journalists are experiencing underscores the importance of being to the point with journalists. That begins with understanding how journalists are spending their day - glued to mobile devices. “This impacts how you need to write subject lines that generate curiosity and fit into mobile devices, given the limited set of characters they can display,” said Dinnick. He also shared stressed research that shows the body copy of a pitch should be under 200 words. Mind the Links Loading a journalist up with lots of links to research, videos, and media coverage in the body copy of your pitch may seem like a good idea to help them evaluative a story idea But this is a no-no. It creates unnecessary clutter and detracts from the key messages you want them to focus on. Instead, journalists report they want as few links as possible. Wilf Dinnick recommends 1-2 links max. It’s important to note that this will present a challenge if you don’t have your content organized into comprehensive expert profiles which include important information that journalists want to see such as past media and speaking appearances, research, publications, education/credentials, affiliations etc. There was a lot to take away from this session which was jam-packed with research and best practices for media relations and PR pros. However, perhaps the most important lesson was how to ”flip” the traditional approach to pitching 180 degrees - starting the pitch process by first developing “owned” content that gets published to your website. As Wilf Dinnick stated, “you have to think like a journalist” as you approach the story ideas you want to pitch. Start with owned content and publish stories that focus on your experts which clearly show them to be relevant and credible while making their work more engaging and human through visual media helps “set the table for the journalist.” If it’s well structured and engaging, it gives journalists the added context they need to immediately understand how your pitch is relatable to their audience. What’s most powerful about this approach is that it helps media relations and PR pros avoid the “earned media trap.” Instead of being overly focused on coverage, we can think more strategically about the value we bring to the organization as storytellers to create quality “owned” content that boosts search engine (SEO) authority and PageRank as well as site engagement with visitors to boost reputation, relationships and revenues. It was clear from the many examples shared by healthcare organizations, universities and associations that this approach is where the real gains can be made. And how media relations and PR pros can show more tangible value to their organizations. Stay tuned for more on this topic of owned content and how it helps improve your media coverage as we explore this in our next post. To see the entire webinar, make sure to sign up for BrightTalk to watch the full webinar here.

ChristianaCare’s Future of Health Scholarship Program Honors 10 HBCU-Bound Students

Unique opportunity pairs $500,000 in support with paid summer internships To strengthen and diversify the health care workforce for years to come, ChristianaCare has provided $500,000 in scholarships to 10 students in Delaware who plan to pursue degrees in health care. The financial support, through ChristianaCare’s Future of Health scholarship program, provides $12,500 in support annually per student, plus a paid internship each summer, for students to attend historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). “Partnering with the HBCU Week Foundation this year was an exciting new adventure for ChristianaCare, and one we knew we needed to be a part of, given our commitment to the community and to building our health care workforce of the future – in and of the community,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, J.D., chief health equity officer and senior vice president of Government Affairs and Community Engagement at ChristianaCare. “It is important for us to remove barriers that are impacting Delaware residents from being able to pursue higher education at historically Black colleges and universities. Being able to offer scholarships, internships and support to these students is another way that we know we are opening up the door to diversify the health care profession.” The scholarships represent an ongoing approach by ChristianaCare to improve health equity, community health and inclusivity and diversity. In 2020, ChristianaCare made a public commitment to being an anti-racism organization. For its efforts, ChristianaCare has been ranked one of the Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes magazine, as well as the No. 2 health care employer in the nation for diversity and inclusion and the No. 40 employer nationally overall. “If you want to know more about an organization, see where they invest their dollars,” said Pamela Ridgeway, chief diversity officer for ChristianaCare. “An investment of $500,000 for Delaware residents who choose to go to HBCUs says a lot. The fact that it comes with summer internships for every year and the expectation of employment at the end shows that we are an organization with a commitment.” “The HBCU Week Foundation is proud to partner with ChristianaCare to help support these future health care professionals by giving them the academic and networking experiences needed to excel in their intended career choices,” said Ashley Christopher, Esq., founder and chief executive officer of HBCU Week Foundation, and an alumna of both Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. “The medical field should reflect the communities it serves, and this partnership is one way to help make that happen.” Here are the students who earned scholarships through ChristianaCare’s Future of Health scholarship program, and the HBCUs they elected to attend: Aniyah Barnett, Hampton University. Brooke Brothers, Delaware State University. Solomon Devard, Lincoln University. Mychele Gibson, Howard University. Aa’khai Hollis, Bowie State University. Kianna Kelley, Delaware State University. Delaney Leonard, Howard University. Madison Perry, Jackson State University. Tania Paden, Delaware State University. Cierra Holmes, Delaware State University.

Unattainably Perfect: Idealized Images of Influencers Negatively Affect Users’ Mental Health

Filters, Adobe Photoshop, and other digital tools are commonly used by social media “influencers.” These celebrities or individuals have a large follower base and “influence” or hold sway over online audiences. This digital enhancement of images is well-documented anecdotally. Instagram, in particular, has come under growing scrutiny by the media in recent years for promoting and popularizing unattainably perfect or unrealistic representations of its influencers. What’s less understood is the appeal and the actual effect that these digitally enhanced images have on followers–particularly in terms of people’s feelings of self-worth and their mental wellbeing. A ground-breaking study by Goizueta Business School’s David Schweidel and Morgan Ward sheds new light on the real-world impact of digital enhancement, and what they find should be cause for significant concern. Downstream Consequences: Impressions Have Lasting Impact Across a series of five studies with a broad sample of participants and using AI-powered deep learning data analysis to parse individuals’ responses, Schweidel and Ward have unearthed a series of insights around the lure of these kinds of idealized images, and the negative “downstream consequences” that they have on other users’ self-esteem. “Going into the research, we hypothesized that micro-influencers who digitally manipulate their images, offering unrealistic versions of themselves, would be more successful at engaging with other users–getting more follows, likes, and comments from them. And we do find this to be the case, but that’s not all,” says Schweidel. He and Ward also discover that when users are exposed to these kinds of images, they make comparisons between themselves and the enhanced influencers; comparisons that leave them feeling lacking, envious, and often inadequate in some way. In terms of mental health and wellbeing, this is alarming, says Ward. Our research shows unequivocally that when followers consume idealized versions of popular figures on social media there is a social comparison process that results in these users experiencing negative feelings and a substantial decline in their state of self-esteem. On the basis of these insights, is Meta–the owner of Facebook and Instagram–likely to take action to limit the use of digital enhancement on its platforms and apps any time soon? Unlikely, say Schweidel and Ward. “Meta seems to be fully aware of the deleterious effects that Instagram has on its users. However, the success of Instagram–and that of the brands and influencers that appear on the app–is fueled by increased consumer engagement: the very engagement that this kind of digital enhancement of images drives. So the incentive is there to maintain the practices that keep users engaged, even if there’s a trade-off in their emotional and mental health.” This is a fascinating and important topic - and if you're a reporter looking to know, then let us help. David A. Schweidel is professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He is an expert in the areas of customer relationship management and social media analytics. Morgan Ward is an assistant professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and is an expert in consumer behavior. Both experts are available to speak with media - simply click on an icon to arrange a discussion today.

Georgia Southern faculty secure $1.8 million federal grant to promote inclusive excellence in health informatics

Faculty from Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) have secured a federal grant totaling more than $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote inclusive excellence in health informatics and health equity. With the goal of empowering minority students through education, JPHCOPH’s Professor and Department Chair Gulzar Shah, Ph.D., as principal investigator, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Nandi Marshall, DrPH, as co-investigator, received the grant as part of the $7.98 million award for the TRIUMPH (Training in Informatics for Underrepresented Minorities in Public Health) consortium, which included three other universities and four public health organizations. “This initiative will help our college foster collaborations and community engagement involving influential public health agencies, academic institutions, community organizations and public health agencies,” stated Shah. “It will assist with paid practical experience for students and the practicum sites, and better prospects of job placements for the graduates. The grant will also involve health informatics capacity-building in the current public health workforce in Georgia.” In addition, the grant will help facilitate a new fully online concentration in public health informatics within the University’s existing Master of Public Health (MPH) program. This concentration will feature new courses focused on health information systems, data analytics and public health data visualization for evidenced-based practice. The courses will also be available as elective options for students in the Doctor of Public Health program. As well, the award also provides several graduate assistant opportunities to support students enrolled in the new MPH concentration. If you're a reporter looking to know more about this important topic - then let us help with your coverage and stories. JPHCOPH’s Professor and Department Chair Gulzar Shah, Ph.D, is available to answer your questions - simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.