Part of the Successful Women in Online Communications Interview Series from University of Iowa students

Amira Al Hussaini, managing editor of the Bahrain Telegraph, talks about how she got into online journalism, and what the future holds. She states, "I see online journalism as a means of complementing mainstream media and allowing the world to have access to the real sources of news in countries where censorship and curtailing free speech are rife."

Read the Amira Al Hussaini Interview.

Susan Lawrence, M.D., executive director for The Catalyst Foundation, states that studies show reveal that childhood abuse and trauma are the root cause of the leading causes of death in the U.S. As a result, current primary care medicine does not treat root problems. She believes that evidence-based medicine would correct this problem, result in healthier adults, and actually help address social dysfunctions. Additionally, she believes that there is an enormous cost-saving aspect to evidence-based medicine.

Read Susan Lawrence's Interview.

Matt Modleski, vice president of Stovall Grainger Modleski, Inc., weighs the pros and cons of evidence based healthcare. He explains that EBM works well only when the diagnosis is precise, meaning that there is no room for "intuitive medicine" that could lead to more information later being presented to change a diagnosis. Modleski also says that the implementation of EBM is impractical until there is a fundamental change in hospital administration. "We should have a clearer break between the two business models (precise vs. intuitive) and that means completely overhauling the current hospital system and associated outpatient clinics," Modleski says.

Read the Matt Modleski interview.

Dr. Gregory H. Dorn, executive VP and COO of Zynx Health, believes evidence-based medicine results in better patient care decisions. Dorn believes it can have a significant impact on the US healthcare system if it was implemented much more widely. He states that studies have shown that large population of patients receive sub-optimal care due to errors of underuse, misuse and overuse of interventions. Evidence-based medicine would help patients receive a national standard quality care regardless of the region in which they are treated.

Read Dr. Gregory H. Dorn's Interview.

Vikram Savkar is senior vice-president and publishing director for Scitable, a free online science library. He states that many media outlets have cut back on their investment in science journalism. This, he believes, has led to a less well informed public, as well as "misleading, or poorly argued, and occasionally even sensationalistic" reporting. He further states, "...our public dialogue must be based on facts and evidence, not just dogma."

Read Vikram Savkar's interview.

Chuck Niederriter is a professor of physics and director of the Nobel Conference @ Gustavus Adolphus College. Niederriter believes that the major problem that experts face in discussing science with the public is language. He states that many practical consequences are used by the public, and better understanding will lead to an equal involvement, by public and science experts, in discussions and decision-making over important issues, such as energy policy and health care.

Read Chuck Niederriter's Interiew

John Hamer, executive director of the Washington News Council, talks about the Media Shield Bill. Hamer states that while it is valuable to have protections for confidential sources, they should not exist if national security is clearly at stake. Hamer believes that many journalists long for the days of Woodward and Bernstein and Watergate, and in the process negelct the positive stories that benefit their communities.

Read John Hamer's Interiew

It’s that time of year again when ragweed pollen and mold spores fill the air leaving millions of Americans suffering from fall allergies. Allergy symptoms present in a similar fashion to the common cold: runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, wheezing, sore throat, coughing and nasal congestion. Similarly to a cold, often only 1 or 2 of these symptoms appear, making it even more difficult to decipher between the two.

Read More

Dr. Margaret Lewin is the medical director of Cinergy Health. She defines evidence based medicine as "practice of medicine in which decision-making is based on evidence acquired from carefully-controlled clinical trials." She also incorporates it into her personal practice, and states that it could lead to lower costs and better outcomes.

Read the Margaret Lewin Interview.

Bruce A. Boissonnault, president & CEO of Niagara Health Quality Coalition, believes that "there is little science in the public discourse on health care reform and even less fact checking in the news about it." He states that U.S. scientists should periodically evaluate the country's healthcare system performance against the healthcare systems in other nations - as scientests routinely do in other countries - which will lead to better results. He states "...the rate of growth in what I term 'advernews' has outpaced the average reader's ability to recognize advernews for what it is ... a marketing message wrapped in a lab coat."

Read the Bruce A. Boissonault Interview

Professor Thomas W. Woolley, of Samford University, established a center for science and religion, where students are provided the opportunity to see the connections and interaction of this two areas. He discusses the role of science in society, and states that science was "birthed" in a Christian Western culture. He adds that today science represents society's most respected and accepted authority in the search for truth. However, he adds, "Its limitation to a materialistic philosophical perspective, however, narrows our understanding of "truth" to a dangerous degree."

Read the Thomas W. Woolley Interview.