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The 2024 Cision State of the Media Report is jam-packed with all sorts of detailed PR info which can be somewhat overwhelming. But there's an important theme to be found in the data. Kudos to the team at Cision for running this survey that polled over 3,000 staff journalists and freelancers, which is now in its 15th year. The big takeaway for me? Give journalists what they want. Sounds simple enough. Yet, with so many organizations competing for media attention amidst a sea of new AI-enabled platform hacks, many need to focus on the fundamentals of media relations, which this report nicely captures. The media is inundated with pitches. So, the secret to success lies in understanding what jobs journalists have to do and giving them what they need to file their stories…fast. According to the Cision 2024 survey, at the top of the journalists' wish list are: Topical Relevance (68%): Understanding the target audience and what they find relevant. Access to Experts (52%): Connecting journalists with experts and setting up interviews. Credible Data and Research (48%): Providing data and key research. Speed of Response (47%): Responding quickly to inquiries and respecting journalists’ deadlines. In short, journalists want relevant pitches, expert connections, and credible data, and they want it ASAP so they can meet their deadlines. While the Cision report outlines many other best practices that will undoubtedly improve your coverage rate (such as helping journalists quickly source multimedia assets like images), I want to focus on the importance of nailing these first four rules. Rule #1: Pitch Relevant Topics to Journalists Irrelevant pitches not only waste a journalist's time but also damage your credibility. In fact, 77% of journalists in the Cision study cited being spammed with irrelevant pitches as a reason to block a PR professional or put them on the "do not call" list. The study also reported that journalists are "fed up" with follow-ups to unsolicited pitches. Now, only 8% of journalists think it's okay to follow up more than once to check on a story they have pitched. Rule #2: Get Your Experts in Front of Journalists Connecting with credible expert sources is time-consuming. Joint research conducted by ExpertFile and the Associated Press revealed it takes on average, over 2 hours for journalists to secure an expert source for an interview. We can do better than that. As a PR/Media Relations pro, one of your "superpowers" needs to be the ability to spot a story opportunity and get your subject matter experts lined up for the media interview. This is an area where journalists see comms and media pros playing a vital role inside the organization. But if your pitch "sounds like a marketing brochure" the Cision survey shows that 55% of journalists would add you to their naughty list. One of the best ways to avoid this trap and enrich your story is to bring experts and their unique, specialized knowledge to the interview. That means ensuring you are attributing the source of your blog posts to experts in your organization and including links to their expert profile in your pitch. Enclosing a link to an outdated, boring biography on your website or a LinkedIn profile that hasn't been updated since the Yankees last won the World Series (2009), won't score points with journalists. Rule 3: Provide Journalists with Credible Data and Key Research Providing this information not only supports your story but also builds trust. Ensure that your pitches include the latest research findings, statistics, and data from reputable sources within your institution. This evidence-based approach enhances the credibility of your pitches and increases the likelihood of them being picked up by the media. While primary data is best, if you are curating data from other sources, it's critical to cite sources and, ideally, create derivative insights that help the journalist look at the information in a fresh way. For example we have many economists on our ExpertFile network that provide insights regularly on data they didn't gather. But their ability to critically analyze economic data from trusted sources such as the US Census Bureau or the European Union and generate unique, often counterintuitive or provocative insights is what sets them apart from other experts. Rule #4: Help Meet the Journalist's Deadline Journalists often work under tight deadlines and timely responses from PR professionals. Our software has helped organizations handle thousands of media requests every year and if there is one thing we've learned, media is all about speed. If you are a "serious player" you need protocols and processes to quickly respond to media inquiries and get your expert sources lined up to provide the necessary information and insights to meet same-day deadlines. This shows journalists you respect their time and are a reliable source and you will be on speed dial for future stories. Are You Pitching Effectively? Here’s a few tough questions. Answer truthfully. Are You Personally Wasting Time Pitching? How much time do you spend pitching the media vs. responding to inbound media opportunities? Data from Propel Media shows 97% of media pitches fail. While journalists open approximately half of the pitches they receive they only respond to an average of 2.99% of the pitches. Yet the Cision data shows that it's not always your fault. Why? Well, unless you're a gifted psychic, you simply can't know for sure how a journalist is going to react to your pitch. That's why more media departments and their PR agencies are cutting back on spammy pitch activities and moving to more strategic activities that get more traction. With the extra time they save, they can focus on promoting their experts online where journalists are actively searching for credible sources. The result is more qualified inbound inquiries from journalists genuinely interested in interviewing your experts. And that means a lot less anxiety about meeting your media coverage targets. Are You Wasting Journalists' Time? Is your newsroom or media relations page set up to allow journalists to quickly serve themselves 24x7? Can they easily search by specific topics to find an expert within seconds to help meet their deadlines? Or are you expecting them to email or call you for help. (hint: journalists don't have time for that kind of friction). Here's a nice example of how US-based health system, ChristianaCare makes their medical experts available to journalists round the clock while saving hundreds of hours a year for their Comms and Digital team. I'd love to hear more about how you are helping journalists and how that's paying off with increased media coverage. Let me know in the comments below or connect/follow me on LinkedIn or on ExpertFile.
Georgia Southern University’s Business Innovation Group wins international recognition from InBIA
Business Innovation Group team members Dominique Halaby, DPA, Suzanne Hallman and D’Erica Evans accept an award at the InBIA awards ceremony. Georgia Southern University’s Business Innovation Group (BIG) returned home from San Antonio, Texas, with high honors from the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) during its annual awards ceremony, which recognizes excellence in entrepreneur support. In an awards ceremony held during the 38th annual International Conference on Business Incubation, BIG received four awards including two of the organization’s most prestigious accolades, the Dinah Adkins Award for Non-Technology-Based Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year, and the Randall M. Whaley Award, which is InBIA’s highest honor. The Statesboro BIG location was named the Mixed-Use Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year, while the Metter Business Incubator location received the Rural Entrepreneurship Support Organization of the Year. “I am honored that the InBIA recognized our efforts at the Georgia Southern University Business Innovation Group with the highest accolades for the support we offer to entrepreneurs,” said Dominique Halaby, DPA, director of the BIG and associate vice president for innovation. “These awards highlight the hard work the BIG teams put into making our business incubators an incredible resource for budding businesses and furthering our mission to advance the economic growth of our region.” BIG works to build an ecosystem throughout the state of Georgia to help entrepreneurs create, incubate and accelerate their for-profit business enterprises. BIG facilitates access to University resources, creates opportunities for student experiential learning and fosters an environment that supports a growth mindset throughout the state. “Through the InBIA awards program, we celebrate exceptional organizations that catalyze entrepreneurship for their communities,” said President and CEO of InBIA Charles Ross. “Congratulations to the Georgia Southern University Business Innovation Group on their well-deserved recognition. Their commitment to high-quality programming, organizational excellence and community impact is truly inspiring.” InBIA is a global nonprofit empowering entrepreneur support organizations in every U.S. state and in over 30 countries. With over 39 years of experience, InBIA has been a guiding force in providing industry best practices, fostering collaboration, mentorship and the exchange of innovative ideas for entrepreneurs worldwide. InBIA is the go-to organization for business incubators, accelerators, coworking spaces and other entrepreneurship centers. Interested in learning more or looking to talk with Dominique Halaby? Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Spotlighting Success: How ExpertFile Amplifies Organizational Expertise
Whether you are an industry leader looking to maintain your reputational advantage or smaller organization looking to enhance your reputation, a structured expertise marketing program should be a critical component of your marketing strategy. Traditional thought leadership programs that often focus on a few key executives are now being broadened by a more strategic approach that leverages the hidden expertise within your entire team. Global research conducted by Ogilvy in its recent report “The Global Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing” shows that many organizations are now setting up programs with their employees as Brand Ambassadors to demonstrate thought leadership in specific niches where they have skills and insights that appeal to their audiences. These employees have expertise that is often more relatable and authentic. Using social media platforms like LinkedIn, and networks such as ExpertFile, they can further amplify expert content to cut through the content marketing noise and drive more targeted engagement with media, sales prospects and other audiences. “Your employees are typically your most valuable resource. Identifying your employees that can be influencers themselves is a huge missed opportunity for one of the biggest ROI’s of all time.” James Baldwin Global B2B Influence Lead, Ogilvy To capitalize on this trend, many organizations are turning to more advanced solutions that deliver new digital publishing, distribution and workflow capabilities that extend the capabilities of their CMS (Content Marketing Systems). This also empowers clients and their agencies to achieve more efficiency and scale by better managing of employee content and audience interactions. The results include improved SEO PageRank and improved generative search results, increased site traffic and more qualified media inquiries and sales leads. Here are a few examples: With the ExpertFile platform, Vanderbilt University has streamlined its media interactions and presented more comprehensive information on their faculty enabling journalists to discover the depth of research and expertise that Vanderbilt has to offer for their stories. This provides a valuable boost of inbound inquires that help Vanderbilt stay top of mind, going beyond outbound media pitches. View Expert Center About Vanderbilt University is a distinguished private research institution known for academic excellence and innovation. With a rich history spanning over a century, it cultivates leaders, conducts pioneering research, and contributes significantly to society. Seeking to enhance its reputation and broaden its influence, ChristianaCare completely revamped its approach to showcasing their medical experts. Their Media Expert Center powered by ExpertFile doubled national media coverage,, earning the esteemed IABC Silver and Gold Awards for this exceptional communications strategy. ChristianaCare later established a Speakers Bureau to expand its program with ExpertFile, saving hundreds of operational hours and surpassing engagement targets by 400%. This innovative approach reinforced ChristianaCare's brand visibility, reputation while demonstrating its commitment to community service. View Experts Center View Speakers Bureau About ChristianaCare is a leading healthcare institution committed to delivering exceptional patient care and advancing medical research. With a focus on innovation and compassion, they strive to empower healthier lives and transform healthcare experiences for individuals and families across the region. With a goal of driving market visibility and increasing media coverage, University of Delaware leveraged the ExpertFile platform to regularly published research and insights related to topical news events, while also making it easy for journalists to connect with their faculty as media sources. Within the first 90 days, the university garnered 80 inquiries, capturing the interest of prestigious media outlets such as CNN, NBC, Newsweek, AP, Bloomberg, among others. This activity was made possible with ExpertFile’s automation, distribution and workflow features and seamless no-code integration with the client website. It all added up to massive results with no need to add internal resources to the University of Delaware team. View Expert Center About The University of Delaware is a renowned institution committed to academic excellence, innovation and community engagement. With a rich history and dedication to student success, it strives to advance knowledge and foster global citizenship through transformative education and research. Amidst a competitive educational market in the US Northeast, the University of Connecticut (UCONN) chose ExpertFile to help it amplify its faculty expertise and boost inbound inquiries from media, conferences, researchers and student prospects. The result is a more intuitive way to discover expertise and research across the UCONN campus that helps drive valuable connections that are vital to building institutional reputation and communicating the UCONN mission. View Expert Center About Amidst a competitive educational market in the US Northeast, the University of Connecticut (UCONN) chose ExpertFile to help it amplify its faculty expertise and boost inbound inquiries from media, conferences, researchers and student prospects. The result is a more intuitive way to discover expertise and research across the UCONN campus that helps drive valuable connections that are vital to building institutional reputation and communicating the UCONN mission. The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has consistently been rated as one of the most valued brands in the country. It’s focus on thought leadership by sharing its unique expertise on topics including “Canada’s Worst Roads” and “Cannabis at the Wheel” have helped them educate their membership, boost media visibility and advocate for important policy changes with government. The ExpertFile platform provides a central content platform enabling CAA to cost-effectively publish news releases and publish stories and expert profiles to multiple regional websites, all from a intuitive, centralized dashboard. View Expert Center About The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) advocates for motorists and offers essential services to members nationwide, ensuring safer and more convenient travel. With a trusted legacy, CAA remains committed to enhancing drivers' experiences across Canada. ExpertFile has streamlined the presentation and management of faculty directories with integration into over 20 sections of the Loyola Marymount University LMU website. With a robust collection of over 1,000 faculty profiles, this integration has not only provided a better way to present faculty directories but also delivered over 1 million expert views and generated thousands of media, academic collaboration and student prospect inquiries while enhancing engagement and accessibility to expertise across the university community. Faculty Directories About Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private university located in Los Angeles, California. Known for its rigorous academic programs, diverse community, and commitment to social justice. With a goal to attaining R1 research institution status, Villanova University aimed to boost the visibility of its faculty experts and showcase its commitment to academic excellence and knowledge advancement. It needed a way to better manage and leverage a lot of expert faculty research and information. With ExpertFile, the Villanova communications team now has a much easier way to publish and update faculty content that seamlessly integrates with the University website and also appears on the ExpertFile network searched by thousands of journalists looking for credible media sources. It all adds up to more market visibility and brand reputation with valuable audiences connecting with Villanova experts. View Expert Center About Villanova University, founded on Catholic principles, is a renowned research institution committed to academic excellence and ethical leadership. Grounded in its rich heritage, Villanova fosters a community of learning that embraces diversity and promotes the pursuit of truth and social justice. Carnegie Mellon University needed a better way to profile their expert faculty in the best possible way to meet the highest standards and researchers by launching a new Experts Center within 30 days. Their objective was to enhance both the appearance and functionality of underperforming faculty expert content areas, thereby better aligning them with the institution's prominence. Through use of the ExpertFile platform and collaboration with ExpertFile team, profiles were developed and integrated, meeting tight deadlines and resulting in a more polished and easily discoverable experience for those seeking expertise. Expert Center About Carnegie Mellon University is a prestigious institution celebrated for its pioneering research and interdisciplinary education. With a legacy of innovation, it remains at the forefront of shaping global education and technology. As a leading public research institution, the University of Florida aimed to enhance its capacity to connect experts with media opportunities. Faced with a challenging and proprietary content platform , the institution needed to provide a more user-friendly way for journalists to engage with faculty and research experts. Aligned with its mission of fostering academic collaboration and knowledge dissemination, University of Florida communications and digital team completely transformed its online presence using the ExpertFile platform. By prioritizing discovery, accessibility and user experience, their team has elevated the visibility and impact of their faculty research and expertise. View Expert Center About The University of Florida, a Top 10 public research institution in the US, fosters excellence in research, education, and service within a diverse community of scholars. Through collaboration and interdisciplinary initiatives, UF empowers students to drive positive change. Aston University in the UK aimed to elevate its online presence and showcase its faculty expertise effectively across various communities. Seeking to enhance SEO, generate valuable inquiries, humanize research and ultimately improve reputation and ranking, they turned to ExpertFile. Aston University now has a more intuitive, efficient way to profile its faculty and research and increase the awareness of its research with a more diverse global audience through ExpertFile. View Research Experts About Aston University is a prestigious institution renowned for its dedication to innovation and academic excellence. With a rich history of shaping future leaders and conducting cutting-edge research, Aston University continues to inspire and empower students to thrive in a globalized world To build more market visibility and engagement with its target audience, Western Carolina University (WCU) needed a more intuitive way to present its expertise. ExpertFile enabled them to quickly deploy a searchable directory of faculty experts and then focus on creating shareable expert content on their website and on the broader ExpertFile network to boost visibility. To further boost engagement, WCU has published regular posts complete with faculty interviews and vertical video clips for social media. These programs have helped raise the profile of WCU. boosted internal and external engagement and has been very well received by faculty. . View Expert Center About Western Carolina University (WCU) is dedicated to delivering outstanding higher education, fostering innovation, and inspiring students to realize their full potential through academic excellence and community engagement. In California's competitive academic environment, UC Irvine needed to boost the visibility of its strong expert faculty while leverage the resources of a small communications team. ExpertFile’s user-friendly platform including customizable workflows and automated tools for adding expert content to their website made showcasing experts easy. Being able to create detailed media-rich profiles and quickly share expert insights allowed UC Irvine to stand out among larger rivals and increase their media coverage. All without straining their resources. View Expert Center About UC Irvine is a leading public research institution known for its top-ranked academic programs and cutting-edge research initiatives. With a focus on innovation and diversity, UC Irvine is committed to advancing knowledge and addressing society's most pressing challenges. Multiple integrations across research and newsroom sections have significantly streamlined the presentation and management of expert content at Goizueta Business School at Emory University. A more efficient system with delegated permissions has increased internal collaboration, and custom training resources for faculty and staff boost engagement on the platform. The ExpertFile team also provides a range of services such as content updates to save Goizueta valuable time while ensuring its website remains current and engaging, for students, faculty, and visitors alike. View Expert Center About Emory University's Goizueta Business School is a prestigious institution renowned for its innovative curriculum and exceptional faculty. With a focus on experiential learning and global perspective, Goizueta prepares students to become transformative business. Showcasing the expertise at Southern Utah University has been a key strategy for its marketing team. While not having the advantage of being in a major media market, SUU understood they needed to be more innovative in developing thought leadership and positioning their expertise to build their brand. The ExpertFile platform with its advanced content features allows the SUU team to present a more engaging view of their faculty and their research. It’s helped them boost search rank and garner national media attention, plus it has also helped them engage student prospects. View Expert Center About Southern Utah University fosters student success and personal development through diverse academic programs and resources. Emphasizing innovation, inclusivity, and community engagement, SUU creates a dynamic learning environment for student achievement and societal contributions. As a top ranked institution, The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Engineering wanted to make its faculty research and insights stand out. Just designing a standard faculty directory didn’t meet the mark. ExpertFile enabled VCU to optimize its content resulting in a major improvement in SEO PageRank and website engagement. This improved experience has also boosted inbound inquiries for media sources, academic collaborations and student prospects looking for information on the VCU’s programs. View Expert Center About Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a premier urban, public research university committed to advancing knowledge and improving the human experience. With a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff, VCU fosters innovation, creativity and collaboration. As a recognized R1 research university, the communications team at Michigan State had the goal to better convey the strength of its faculty research in an effort to boost regional and national media coverage. With the ExpertFile platform their team was able to design a custom implementation fully integrated into the MSU website and streamline the content management and updates to hundreds of faculty profiles - all managed from an intuitive centralized dashboard that saves time for the MSU team. View Expert Center About Michigan State University, a leading public research institution, top in graduate school rankings, is dedicated to advancing knowledge and transforming lives through its commitment to excellence in education, research, and outreach. As a relatively new institution, Augusta University, the fourth largest university in the state of Georgia had a goal stand out by showcasing the expertise of its faculty and the medical staff within Augusta Healthcare - one of the state’s largest integrated health systems. The communications team at Augusta leveraged the ExpertFile platform, publishing more comprehensive expert profiles. Plus they released regular expert updates that demonstrated the relevance of their experts on topical news stories. The result was a huge boost in SEO PageRank plus regional and national media coverage. All without the need to add resources to their communications team. View Expert Center About Augusta University, a leading academic institution, combines excellence in education, research, and healthcare. With an integrated health system, it fosters innovation, advances knowledge, and improves the well-being of communities locally and globally. As an R1 institution based in New Orleans, Tulane University has many specialized programs led by their world-class researchers and faculty. The Tulane marketing team wanted to better showcase this faculty expertise to drive media coverage while designing a system that worked best for their faculty. Leveraging the ExpertFile Platform, they created a searchable online hub showcasing participating faculty experts offering more engaging faculty profiles complete with multimedia features and a more intuitive way for journalists to connect to Tulane media sources. View Expert Center About Tulane University, a renowned institution in New Orleans, fosters innovative research, academic excellence, and community engagement. With a rich history of interdisciplinary collaboration, it prepares students to lead and serve in a complex global society. Are you looking to join the many organizations that are leveraging their employee subject-matter experts as part of a thought leadership and content marketing program? Then consider how you will manage and scale this effort with solutions designed specifically for expertise marketing. ExpertFile has advanced content creation and management tools, customizable workflows, powerful search capabilities, AI features, and flexible integration options, all connected to a broad network of media and speaking opportunities. By streamlining the management and promotion of online expert profiles, we ensure each organization connects with their key audiences like journalists, potential clients, event organizers and many others. Tailored for various industries, ExpertFile addresses each client's unique needs, driving meaningful engagement and visibility for the organization. The spotlights above are just a small sample of how ExpertFile works with leading organizations every day to enhance expertise and broaden their market reach. Explore industry-specific benefits to learn how ExpertFile can help your organization enhance its market presence and thought leadership. Want to learn more? Visit expertfile.com/getstarted.
The Power of Impartiality: Exploring the Benefits of VisiLeap AI's Relevancy Assessment for Acceleroute's Patent Portfolio Unlocking Patent Portfolio Potential Acceleroute's patent portfolio is a treasure trove of innovative ideas and concepts. However, the challenge lies in identifying which patents are truly valuable and relevant in today's fast-paced technological landscape. With InventionShare's VisiLeap AI's relevancy assessment scorecarding, Acceleroute can now unlock the full potential of its patent portfolio organized by companies that could benefit as well as major data center considerations and new demands such as virtual and augmented reality, AI LLMs and AGI. Efficient Opportunity Identification By leveraging VisiLeap AI and human dataset creation and scorecarding, patent portfolios such as Acceleroute can be unbiasedly assessed as to their relevancy to global corporations or new high growth enterprises. This eliminates the guesswork and allows the AcceleRoute to fairly represent their portfolio without any bias. Maximizing ROI One of the key benefits of VisiLeap AI's relevancy assessment tool is its ability to maximize return on investment for Acceleroute's patent portfolio. By strategically identifying high-value patents in the context of leading technology companies and use case, the company can prioritize companies for licensing or acquisition of the portfolio. Staying Ahead of the Competition In today's competitive business landscape, staying ahead of the competition is crucial for long-term success. VisiLeap AI's assessment software gives Acceleroute the competitive edge by helping them identify the relevancy of each of the individual patents in the portfolio in the context of industry competitors and emerging technology trends. The portfolio currently has 39 US patents (with many equivalent Canadian patents) and two continuation's in process. In conclusion, the VisiLeap AI's relevancy assessment presents a solid opportunity for Acceleroute to unleash the full potential of its patent portfolio. To explore how this technology can benefit your organization contact us today for a personalized consultation. About InventionShare About VisiLeap About Acceleroute
NATO Turning 75 | Media Advisory
The 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) holds immense significance for the public as it marks three-quarters of a century of collective defense, cooperation, and peacekeeping among member nations. This event matters as it symbolizes NATO's enduring commitment to safeguarding the freedom and security of its member states in an ever-changing global landscape. As the world faces new security challenges, NATO's role in promoting stability, democracy, and international cooperation remains vital to ensuring peace and prosperity for generations to come. Story angles of interest to a broad audience may include: The historical context and founding principles of NATO NATO's contributions to peacekeeping and crisis management operations Evolving security threats and NATO's adaptation to meet modern challenges NATO's partnerships with non-member states and international organizations The role of NATO in addressing emerging security threats such as cyber warfare and terrorism The future of NATO and the importance of transatlantic cooperation in an increasingly uncertain world. Connect with an Expert about NATO For journalists with questions or looking to cover the history, purpose and role the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plays on the global stage, here is a select list of experts. To search our full list of experts visit www.expertfile.com David R. Dorondo Professor · Western Carolina University Frank Costigliola, D.Phil. Distinguished Professor, Department of History · University of Connecticut Craig Albert, PhD Professor of Political Science and Graduate Director of the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies · Augusta University Randall Stone Professor of Political Science and Director of the Skalny Center for Polish & Central European Studies · University of Rochester Glen Duerr, Ph.D. Professor of International Studies · Cedarville University Photo Credit: Marek Studzinski
What Happened to Haiti to Make it a Perpetual Failed State? | Media Advisory
Haiti's prolonged struggle with political instability, economic hardship, and natural disasters raises critical questions about international aid, governance, and the path to sustainable development. This topic is not just newsworthy for its historical complexity but also for its implications on human rights, regional stability, and global efforts to address poverty and inequality. Haiti's story prompts a deeper examination of: The impact of foreign intervention and aid Political corruption and its effects on governance Economic policies and their role in sustainable development Social movements and the fight for democracy Environmental degradation and resilience Connect with an Expert about What Happened to Haiti to Make it a Perpetual Failed State? For journalists seeking research or insights for their coverage about the ongoing crisis in Haiti, here is a select list of experts from our database. To search our full list of experts, visit www.expertfile.com Ken Keen Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management; Associate Dean for Leadership; Lieutenant General, USA (Retired) – Emory University, Goizueta Business Robert Fuller, M.D., FACEP UConn Health Chairman of Emergency Medicine – University of Connecticut Benjamin Hebblethwaite Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures – University of Florida Paul Kramer Associate Professor of History – Vanderbilt University Photo credit: Heather Suggitt
MSU Law expert weighs in on Roe v. Wade draft opinion/leak
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University Law Professor Mae Kuykendall answers questions about what it means if Roe v. Wade is overturned and the leaked draft opinion. She recently co-authored an essay, Uprooting Roe, that was published in the Houston Law Review. What will it mean if Roe v Wade is overturned? The implication for American politics and for women is seismic. We are in uncharted territory. The Supreme Court is now deeply radical and reactionary, in the basic sense of that term. It’s (Roe v Wade’s) legitimacy is at risk, and that is putting it mildly. What are the short- and long-term impacts? Again, this is uncharted territory. States have passed abortion bans with no exception for rape or incest. Childbirth has a mortality rate associated with it and, if done in a hospital, is extremely expensive. This is a form of what is called in other contexts an “unfunded mandate.” It also has a significantly worse impact on Black women, who die in childbirth at a disproportionate rate. The moment the Supreme Court issues its holding (with its “mandate”), draconian state laws will come into effect. Women will die. One does not yet know what women will do to organize and make access to reproductive health care available. Numerous recent articles have been written about ongoing secret meetings by Republicans in the U.S. Congress to pass a national ban if they gain sufficient control of Congress and the executive branch. The efforts by some states to become “safe havens for reproductive health care” are targets. The assumption that women can travel to liberal states is not something to count on. Further, there will be efforts to criminalize leaving a state for an abortion and returning. We are entering a new era in which all assumptions about women’s status as full citizens, and other assumptions about liberty of all to travel and to associate freely, are up for grabs. The Texas bounty law is a glimpse of a future with heavily restricted rights for pregnant women and their support network. What document was leaked? The document is a draft opinion by Justice Alito in the Mississippi case, Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization The odds are he is negotiating with other justices who voted with him about specific language. The opinion is quite radical as his starting point, but I do not know who in the radical Republican majority will want to soften it. Does this assure that Roe v Wade will be overturned? It has been clear since the Republican Party began putting justices on the Supreme Court pursuant to an “overrule Roe” litmus test that Roe v Wade was going to be overruled. With the three they gained by refusing to give hearings to Merrick Garland and then rushing Amy Coney Barrett through at the last minute, the end was assured. How could such a document be leaked from SCOTUS? The draft opinion would be in general circulation within the Supreme Court. The possibilities are numerous. I assume someone wanted Alito and friends to see the reaction before the deed was final. What is the cornerstone of Roe v Wade? A basic response would be the concept of individual rights and the requirement that state power not intrude deeply into an individual’s life without a strong “compelling” interest. Raw state power is disapproved by most of the American people. The Supreme Court, on all sides of the spectrum from liberal to conservative, long cited the need to restrain the raw exercise of individual state power. The Roe v Wade case was the first time state laws to ban abortion faced a test of fit with the core idea of liberty under the Constitution. The Supreme Court, with an open mind, studied the matter and found such bans unsustainable within a framework of protection for individuals from an unjustified exercise of raw state power. Without Roe v Wade, abortion bans would be subject to what is called “rational basis” review. That means anything a person could imagine as a rational reason for a law means the law passes Court review. What’s next? The Supreme Court is involved in internal back and forth about the opinion. When justices decide they like the opinion as it is written, they write the author: “Join me.” The chief justice of the United States just issued a statement that the opinion is not final. That is obvious. But Alito is trying to gather support for the most confrontational, radical opinion he can write. We shall see. After the opinion is announced, and even now, we face massive unpredictable political turbulence. When will the final decision on Roe v Wade be made? By the end of Supreme Court term for this year. https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/procedures.aspx For media inquiries: Contact: Kim Ward, University Communications: (517) 432-0117, kward@msu.edu;
• Contaminated water is responsible for around 500,000 deaths a year • New transmembrane proteins will allow selective removal of single contaminant from water • Will use tiny transport channels around one million times smaller than an ant. Aston University scientists are to explore a more sustainable method of separating contaminants from water. The method will use exquisite molecular selectivity, which means that just a single chemical or molecular species will be able to pass through the membrane, allowing scientists to selectively remove a single contaminant from water. The World Health Organization estimates that microbiologically contaminated water is responsible for almost 500,000 deaths a year and current filtration technologies aren’t effective enough. The University has received a grant of £165,999 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to research the use of bioinspired membranes to selectively remove contaminants from water, while using minimal energy. The membranes will be made from plastic but will have transmembrane proteins embedded within them, made possible thanks to new polymers developed by the University. The transmembrane proteins enable the selective removal of specific contaminants using transport channels measuring approximately 4-10 nanometres - around one million times smaller than an ant. The Aston University team led by Dr Matt Derry, lecturer in chemistry, will be developing bio-inspired membranes which selectively remove contaminants with minimal energy. Working with Dr Alan Goddard, reader in biochemistry at Aston University, the team’s design is based on solutions found in biological evolution and refinement which has occurred over millions of years. Dr Derry, who is based in the University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. said: “Polluted water is a complex global socioeconomic issue that affects human and animal health, and greatly impacts industries such as agriculture and fishing, recreational activities and transport. “Current filtration technologies are ineffective and their manufacture often requires complex and expensive multi-step processes with high associated energy costs. “We are going to use advanced polymer synthesis to develop new bespoke polymers which will both extract transmembrane proteins and immobilise them within artificial separation membranes. “This will create water purification membranes which remove impurities with greater selectivity and specificity.” The new membrane technology developed in this project will advance and evolve membrane science. The platform materials and approaches used can be applied to other membrane filtration and water purification applications such as selective phosphate removal from agricultural wastewater. Dr Derry added: “We are hoping that the new membranes will lead to high-performance devices that can contribute to a circular economy. “The need for such new systems is recognised by the UN with Sustainable Development Goal six on clean water and sanitation.” The research will begin in April 2024 and will end in May 2026.
#Expert Insight: Here’s what can happen when dollar stores move in
Dollar stores - they're everywhere and on of America's fastest growing retail options. From the outside looking in, the idea of dollar stores seem like a win/win all around -- cheaper food, cheaper toys, and just about cheaper everything on offer to consumers looking to save money. However, recent research by UConn Professor Rigoberto Lopez might be pulling back the curtain on the bad deal these new outlets are selling to consumers and communities. Dollar stores have proliferated in recent years, and a study by a University of Connecticut economist has found that they contribute to less healthful food choices in the neighborhoods where they open. That’s because independent grocery stores tend to close in the same areas where the dollar stores open, according to professor Rigoberto Lopez, whose research focuses on agricultural economics. “The dollar store expanding is the fastest-growing retail format, and we also have seen a lot of family, independently owned grocery stores going out of business,” Lopez said. “So we try to link the two and to find not just a statistical correlation, but also we find that indeed when the dollar store comes to the neighborhood these stores tend to go out of business as well.” The low-priced dollar store — primarily Dollar General, Family Dollar and its subsidiary, Dollar Tree — “is the most successful type of format that is proliferating all across the United States, especially in rural areas and food deserts, which are the more underserved areas,” Lopez said. According to the study, published in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, there were 35,000 dollar stores in the United States in 2019 and they were “among the few food retailers” that grew in revenue after the Great Recession of 2008-10, outperforming big box discounters and retail clubs. Between 2000 and 2019, dollar stores opening in a neighborhood resulted in a 5.7% drop in independent grocery store sales, a 3.7% decrease in employment and a 2.3% increase in the likelihood of the grocery stores closing, according to the research. The effects are three times more likely in rural than urban areas, the study found. The dollar stores tend not to offer fresh produce and meats, with foodstuffs being limited to canned and boxed goods. “In general they provide an unhealthier food assortment … and less services,” Lopez said. “They don’t have bakery, butchers, they don’t have a lot of these.” The article also discusses not just the economic aspects, but public health implications as well. Lopez said the dollar stores’ business model is “low prices, low cost, low quality. … But a lot of the food that they sell is not healthy. It’s processed foods that they can store. Keeping fresh food and vegetables costs money.” Dollar stores are not necessarily a negative, if there was not a grocery store in the area before, Lopez said. “Public health advocates, they’re against dollar stores, but a lot of people that visit the dollar store, they prefer to have a dollar store than not to have anything at all in some areas. … But in general … we find if they are driving some of the local businesses out, then that is the negative trend.” Food insecurity and the changing landscape of grocery stores are important topics, and if you have questions or are looking to cover, then let us help. Rigoberto Lopez is the DelFavero Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Connecticut's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He is an expert in food systems, marketing, industrial organization, and public policy. Simply click on his icon now to arrange a time to talk today.
ChristianaCare Earns National Recognition for Support of Life-Saving Organ and Tissue Donation
ChristianaCare has earned the highest level of national recognition from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for its outstanding support of organ and tissue donation. HRSA grants the Platinum Award, its top honor, to health systems that promote donation in their workplace and community through a national campaign known as DoNation. This campaign focuses on raising awareness of the critical need for organ and tissue donors. “This recognition belongs to all the ChristianaCare caregivers, especially the critical care nurses and physicians who help with compassion and generosity in supporting the gift of life to those in need of a transplant,” said Jason Rolls, M.D., FACS, chief and surgical director of the Kidney Transplant Program at ChristianaCare. “This recognition also is a testament to the generosity of our communities, who have said ‘yes’ to organ donation.” Delaware’s Only Kidney Transplant Program Based at Christiana Hospital, ChristianaCare’s Kidney Transplant Program is the only adult transplant center in Delaware and the only one between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Since opening in 2006, the program has performed more than 400 transplants. The program also helps more than 1,000 patients each year by providing services for kidney transplant, living donation evaluation and waitlist management, as well as post-donation and post-transplant care. The program is approved by Medicare and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. “The sooner we can provide kidney transplants to patients on dialysis, the better the chances to improve both the extent and the quality of their lives,” Rolls said. “Along with our clinical teams at ChristianaCare, we also are grateful to HRSA and the Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia for their commitment to healing lives through the support of organ transplantation.” ChristianaCare works closely with Gift of Life Donor Program, the region’s nonprofit organ procurement organization, to support donation. ChristianaCare’s engagement and advocacy includes monthly donation council meetings, tabling events and educational sessions for its health care team. In addition, ChristianaCare holds an annual flag-raising ceremony each April as part of National Donate Life Month. “ChristianaCare and our hospital partners are vital to our life-saving mission,” said Rick Hasz, president and CEO of Gift of Life Donor Program. “In fact, ChristianaCare is one of the leading hospitals for donation in our region; its Newark and Wilmington campuses have combined to provide compassionate care and support for 50 donor heroes and their families, resulting in 120 life-saving organs for transplant for waiting patients during the first eleven months of 2023. We thank the ChristianaCare team for its outstanding commitment to saving lives through donation and caring for the health of our community.” In the United States, more than 90% of adults support organ donation, but only 60% have signed up to become donors. With a new person added to the national transplant waiting list every 10 minutes, more organ and tissue donors are needed to help save lives. Visit www.organdonor.gov to learn more about organ and tissue donation, and sign up as a donor at www.donors1.org/register.
