AHCJ’s fall summit, “Research reset: Covering promising paths to better health,” is designed to help reporters learn to identify and report on health research questions, overlooked opportunities and innovative models that could transform health.
Until recently, the U.S. consistently invested more in health research than any other country. Yet it has experienced poor health outcomes compared to other affluent nations. This day-and-a-half event will explore that disconnect, the current funding environment and promising approaches to alleviating some of the nation’s most pressing health problems.
The summit will take place Nov. 13-14 in New York City, at the Graduate by Hilton New York on Roosevelt Island. Registration is now open, and closes Oct. 29. A half-day field trip at the conclusion of the summit will give participants an opportunity to learn about the public health history of Roosevelt Island where Nellie Bly made her name as a muckraker after she posed as a person with a mental illness to investigate conditions inside a women’s asylum there.
AHCJ’s fall summit this year takes a step back to look at the history of research funding in the U.S., its likely future and the growing recognition that research could more directly result in improvements to the health of Americans. The summit will highlight areas of health research that have not, traditionally, been well-funded and more closely examine the value of projects that have been pursued outside traditional channels.
Check back later for a full program of events. Sessions will include:
Funding in flux: How politics is reshaping health research
Health research funding has been thrown into a state of uncertainty. Grants that once seemed secure are now vulnerable to cancellation for using the ‘wrong’ language or focusing too much on equity. Overall funding levels are being cut, and political agendas are reshaping what gets studied — and what doesn’t. This matters not just to scientists, but to the communities journalists cover. In this session, journalists will hear about how funding decisions used to be made, how they are made now and where the common ground is for reshaping the structure of health research funding.
What we don’t know could kill us: Finding the missing pieces in maternal health research
Over the past five years, the problem of maternal mortality — especially among Black women — has been widely analyzed and reported on by many news outlets. But how has the history of funding affected maternal health and postnatal care? With many research grants on the chopping block, what approaches to improving outcomes for new mothers have the most potential? This session will delve into the history of maternal health research, where we are today and some areas of promise.
Promising partnerships for improving health
Community groups and health system partnerships have leveraged distinct perspectives and expertise to tackle health issues with an innovative or collaborative intervention. But how are long-term and firmly funded relationships built and sustained? This session will look at three examples of partnerships that produced results and the research that came out of those projects.
Where do we go from here? The future of diversity in health research
With cuts in funding and priorities, medical and clinical research focused on improving health outcomes for women, people of color, the LGBTQ community and people living with disabilities will be diminished. This session will explore how institutions are pivoting to continue the research they’ve invested in and who is stepping in to fill the gaps. This session will also give journalists tips for finding ”lost” data sets.
Quality over quantity: Reaching patients with research
Despite substantial investments in research and care, the U.S. continues to fall behind in health outcomes. This panel will explore some major areas in health where a greater commitment to applying evidence to prevention, access and the delivery of care could produce significant improvements. Journalists will leave this session prepared to more effectively report on these areas of promise.