How Pharma Can Get Into the Social Media Mix: Industry Expert Will Detail Three Essential Steps During Remarks at PRSA Health Academy Annual Conference

Josh Bernoff, co-author of the best-selling book, “Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies” (Harvard Business Press), and vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, will present recent data and insights on social technology strategies that succeed within the health care industry as a guest keynote speaker at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2009 Health Academy Conference, May 13–15, in Washington, D.C.

Focusing on how pharmaceutical companies can use social technologies to engage the people they help treat, Bernoff will describe a three-step process for success. By evaluating the social tendencies of the people the companies are trying to reach, evaluating their tolerance for regulatory risk and choosing an application based on the results of the first two steps, companies can leverage social media to their advantage.

Bernoff will be joined by other social media experts who are creating new ways to reach and influence engaged health care consumers and health professionals.

Highlights of the conference will include a session on how CNN is solidifying its position as the leading cable news network by taking advantage of viewers’ unprecedented use of social media. Jennifer Martin, director of public relations for CNN, will disclose how CNN reacts and responds instantaneously to its viewers to build unprecedented viewer engagement.

Also featured will be Mara Liasson, political correspondent for National Public Radio, who will discuss how the social media movement, which helped shape the election of President Obama, is being used to reshape the nation’s debate on health care reform, and Laurie McGinley, co-editor of the Kaiser Health News syndicate and former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who will introduce a radical new model for news gathering that fills the gap left by the collapsing model of newspapers and print journalism.

A special pre-conference seminar will take place on May 13 at the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, across the street from the White House. Among the highlights: The Department of Defense will showcase its efforts in social media including TroopTube; Col. Paul Little, M.D., will provide highlights of Soldier’s TV, the Army’s internal news network; and the VA will share some of its latest technological advances in providing information to recent U.S. war veterans, along with the award-winning MyHealtheVet program.

Attendees will receive $100 off their registration fee if they register for the conference by April 21. Complete information about the conference is accessible on the PRSA Health Academy Web site.

About the PRSA Health Academy

The Health Academy is the largest Professional Interest Section within PRSA. Through the convergence of health care and public relations, the Academy promotes excellence in communications and an educational dialogue across the entire health care industry for the professional enhancement of its members.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 20 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 302 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.