Projects and Writing Samples by Martha O'Connell

Selected Media Placements by Martha O’Connell

for University of Chicago Medical Center

(Excluding Crisis Coverage)

December 8, 2009, WTTW-TV, Chicago Tonight, "Global Visionaries: Dr. Funmi Olopade," Phil Ponce. Promotes oncology.

May 11, 2009, Chicago Tribune, Section 1, Page 1, “Trouble Sleeping,” Robert Mitchum. Promotes sleep medicine.

May 10, 2009, WLS-TV, “And Baby Makes 11,” Cheryl Burton. Promotes International Adoption program for Mother’s Day.

May 17, 2009, WLS-TV, “Louder Than Words,” Karen Meyer. Promotes cochlear implant program

May 8, 2009, Forbes.com, U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay, "Racial Disparity Seen in Angioplasty Outcomes." Promotes cardiology.

May 6, 2009, Bloomberg, “On the Cusp Cancer, HIV Success Gets $10.4 Billion Obama Push,” Nicole Gaouette.

May 1, 2009, Chicago Tribune, “Students Exposed to Careers in Autopsy Lab,” Agnes Jasinski. Promotes UCMC’s community service programs.

April 27, 29, 30, 2009, WLS-TV, Chicago Tribune, WBBM-TV, Sylvia Perez, James Janega, Don Schwenneker. Interviews with infectious diseases specialists on swine flu outbreak.

April 22, 2009, WLS-TV, “Maggie Daley’s Medical Procedure,” Sylvia Perez. Promotes oncology through live interview with UCMC oncologist.

April 15, 2009, Chicago Tribune, “Unsung Superfoods,” Julie Deardorff. Promotes patient care and dieticians.

April 9, 2009, WGN-TV, “Mono-Mono Twins,” Dina Bair. Promotes maternal-fetal medicine.

April 3, 2009, WBBM-TV, “Cutler a Role Model for Diabetes Patients,” Mike Parker. Promotes Kovler Diabetes Center.

April 2, 2009, Chicago Tribune, “Plainfield Girl the First Patient Treated in New Hospital Collaboration.” Promotes pediatric epileptology and Comer Children’s Hospital.

March 20, 2009, WFLD-TV, “Good Day Chicago .” UCMC Neurologist interviewed live about head trauma following Natasha Richardson’s death.

March 20, 31, 2009, WMAQ-TV, WLS-TV, Chicago Tribune, “Match Day,” Allison Rosati, Jason Lee. Promotes Pritzker School of Medicine, including live interview with a student.

March 17, 18, 19, 20, 2009, U.S. News & World Report, UPI, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, WebMD, multiple TV stations nationwide, “Prostate Cancer Patients May Delay Treatment.” Promotes urology surgery, alternative treatments, and UCMC faculty study in Journal of Urology.

March 16, 2009, Chicago Tribune, “How to Boost Your Metabolism,” Nina Metz. Promotes 150 Huron Clinic and Program for Personalized Health & Prevention.

March 9, 10, 13, 2009, local print, broadcast, national wire and blogs, UCMC stem cell researchers interviewed about Obama’s repeal of funding limits on embryonic research.

March 6, 2009, WLS-TV, “Tummy Trouble,” Sylvia Perez. Promotes pediatric general and vascular surgery.

March 4, 2009, WGN-TV, “Flashes of Hope,” Jane Boal, March 2009, Chicago Parent. Promotes Comer Children’s Hospital and innovative patient portrait program.

March 2, 2009, WBEZ-FM/Chicago Public Radio, WTTW-TV, “ Chicago Matters: Global Visionaries.” Secured award for Funmi Olopade, professor of medicine and human genetics.

February, March, 2009, PBS stations nationwide, “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” series, “The Future of Hepatitis C,” “Free to Breathe.” Promotes Center for Liver Diseases and respiratory.

February 24, 2009, Dallas Morning News, “Researchers Hope Dallas Inmates Can Help Unlock MRSA Mystery,” Kevin Krause. Promotes UCMC infection control research.

February 20, 2009, WLS-TV, “Better Than Bed Rest?” Sylvia Perez. Features ICU program to get patients up and moving again.

February 9, 2009, USA Today/A Better Life, “Home Remedies for Winter Skin,” Kim Thai. Promotes dermatology.

February 5, 6, 2009, Chicago Tribune, Section 1, Page 1, “Wishes vs. Risky Treatment,” Judith Graham, WTTW-TV, “Chicago Tonight,” Christian Farr. Spotlighting ethical dilemmas of reproductive medicine in light of California “Octomom” debate.

February 4, 18, 2009, ABC News online, “Working Out the Kinks in 10 Exercise Myths,” “Myths May be Harmful to Your Health.” Promotes sports medicine.

February 3, 2009, Crain’s Chicago Business, “Getting to the Root of the Ginseng Matter,” John Biemer. Promotes herbal medicine research.

January 27, 2009, Chicago Tribune, “Sneak Preview: U of C Research Day.” Promotes Pritzker School of Medicine and UCMC’s community service programs.

January 26, 2009, Chicago Tribune, February 17, 2009, Chicago magazine online, April 2009, Chicago Social. Stories and reviews of Kings of Leon rock band performing benefit for Comer Children’s Hospital

January 20, 2009, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, WLS-TV, WGN-TV, WMAQ-TV, WBBM-TV, WFLD-TV, CLTV, and national media outlets, Coverage of UCMC knitting group, Forefront Stitchers, joining the group, Knitters for Obama, to make caps for cancer patients as part of National Day of Service.

January 13, 2009, Chicago Sun-Times, “U of C Copters Deliver Realism to ‘ER,’” Mary Houlihan. Spotlighting how TV show “ER” relied on expertise of University of Chicago Aeronautical Network.

January 10, 2009, ORLive. Placed video of cardiac surgeon Sudhir Srivastava performing total endoscopic coronary artery bypass (TECAB) using robotics.

December 25, 2008, Chicago Tribune, “Mummy Given High-tech Physical,” Robert Mitchum. Featuring how physicians and scientists used Illinois’ first operational 256-slice scanner to examine mummy.

December 22, 23, 2008, Chicago Sun-Times, AP, AOL, national and international news outlets, “Obesity Meets Match: A Determined Couple.” Promoting bariatric surgery.

December 10, 2008, ScienceDaily, Bio-Medicine.org, other clinical sites, “Children’s Cancer Group Recommends Global Evaluation System for Neuroblastoma.” Promotes pediatric oncology and UCMC faculty study in Journal of Clinical Oncology.

December 10, 2008, Southtown, “Kidney Transplant Deemed Success,” Steve Metsch. Promotes transplant.

December 2008, Jet, “Fear, Misconceptions Stop Black Women from Getting Mammograms,” Marti Parham. Promoting women’s health and UCMC faculty study from Journal of General Internal Medicine.

December 5, 2008, WLS-TV, “91-year-old Nurse Still Helping Others,” Harry Porterfield, “Someone You Should Know.”

December 5, 2008, WLS-TV, affiliates nationwide, “Device Could Help Detect Epileptic Seizures,” Sylvia Perez. Promotes epileptology and Comer Children’s Hospital.

December 2008, North Shore Magazine, January 2009, Chicago Social, features on Comer Children’s Hospital Grand Auction.

November, December 2008, January 2009, Ran on multiple Medstar subscriber television stations through U.S. “Endoscopic Heart Bypass.” Promotes robotic heart surgery.

November 25, 26, 2008, WFLD-TV, WGN-TV, Yahoo! News, Actress Joan Cusack comes to Comer Children’s Hospital to visit pediatric patients.

November 20, 2008, Rockford Register Star, WREX-TV, Daily Mail (UK), “After Brain Surgery for Epilepsy, Roscoe Girl ‘Just Shines.’” Promotes pediatric neurology and surgery.

November, 17, 2008, Science Daily, “Fear Misconceptions About Screening Keep Many African-Americans from Getting Mammograms.” Promotes women’s health, highlights health disparities and UCMC faculty study in Journal of General Internal Medicine.

November 12, 2008, Elgin Courier-News, “Secretary of State Backs Heart Patient’s Fundraiser.” Promotes heart transplant.

November 7, 2008, U.S. News & World Report, “Gluten-Free Diet: A Cure for Some, a Fad for Most,” Adam Voiland. Promotes U of C Celiac Disease Center.

November 2008, local, national TV/wire/print, Interviews with UCMC executives about Michelle Obama as the new First Lady and Barack Obama’s personal friends and advisers.

November 4, 2008, Daily Herald, “The Robot is In,” Robert McCoppin. Promotes DaVinci cardiac and prostate surgery.

November 3, 2008, Northwest Herald, “Marrow Donor Meets Recipient,” Tim Kane. Promotes leukemia treatment, Comer Children’s Hospital.

October 27, 2008, Daily Herald, “Not Cured but Cancer Free,” Robert McCoppin. Promotes breast and metastatic oncology with high school principal.

October 24, 2008, Ebony magazine, “Sickle Cell Success.” Promotes pediatric hematology/oncology.

October 23, 2008, Champaign News-Gazette, “Woman Organizes Stem-Cell Transplant Survivors.” Promotes oncology.

October 23, 2008, Pioneer Press, “Hometown Heroine Meets Surgery with Cheer.” Promotes multiple organ transplant.

October 20, 2008, Northwest Indiana Times, “Munster Woman Triumphs in Breast Cancer.” Promotes oncology.

October 16, 17, 21, 2008, USA Today, AP, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, December 3, 2008, Us Weekly, Northwest Indiana Times, “Olympic Smiles.” Gold Medalists Shawn Johnson and Shannon Miller visit Comer Children’s Hospital.

October 17, 2008, Chicago Tribune, “Benefits Outweigh Risks for Air Medical Workers,” Robert Mitchum, Judith Graham. Promotes air medical transport.

October 13, 2008, WGN-TV, “Fighting Neuroblastoma,” Dina Bair. Promotes pediatric oncology.

October 10, 2008, multiple news outlets, Patti Blagojevich Press Conference announcing funding for BRCA breast cancer gene testing.

October 7, 2008, Reuters, Yahoo!, MSN, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, February 2009, Consumer Reports, December 2008, Chicago Parent, January 2009, Parents magazine, “Microwaves Pose Burn Injury Risk to Small Children.” Promotes UCMC faculty study in journal Pediatrics and Comer Children’s Hospital.

September 12, 2008, Chicago Sun-Times, “The Art of Nursing,” Andrew Hermann, October, November 2008, various nursing publications. Promotes nursing program.

September 9, 2008, multiple online outlets, “Amount of Work for Medical Residents – Not Just Hours – Need Review, Study Finds.” Promotes study published in JAMA by UCMC physician.

August 14, 2008, The New York Times, “Testing Mistakes at the Family Doctor,” Tara Parker-Pope. Promotes study by UCMC physician study in journal Quality and Safety in Health Care.

August 13, 2008, WFLD-TV, Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle visits Comer Children’s Hospital.

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