Three South Florida Public Institutions Join Forces To Combat Miami’s Epidemic
CONTACT:
Heather Radi-Bermudez
Florida International University
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
305-919-4411
hradi@fiu.edu
Cammy Richards
Director Communications
WPBT2
305-424-4013
cammy_richards@wpbt.org
MIAMI, FL, February 1, 2011 – On February 16, Florida International University (FIU)’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, together with FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, will join WPBT2 and the Miami-Dade Health Department for a special prime time broadcast on the resurgence of HIV/AIDS in Miami.
‘The Miami Epidemic” is a one-hour program produced in response to the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Miami is #1 in new AIDS cases.
Jessy Schuster of WPBT2’s “Pulse” will host the special, which airs at 10:00 p.m. on February 16. A roundtable discussion follows the FIU-produced “Lessons from South Africa” documentary. The panel includes three renowned experts: former CDC researcher William W. Darrow, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work; HIV/AIDS community specialist Cheryl Holder, M.D., Associate Professor, Family Medicine Division, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine; Kira Villamizar, M.P.H, Human Services Program Manager, Miami-Dade Public Health Department. Allan Richards, Associate Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the documentary’s executive producer, will join the discussion.
“I’m thrilled to see the HIV/AIDS work of several FIU departments coming together with public health and public television in an effort to educate our students—and the general public— about the rising rates of infection in our community,” said Douglas Wartzok, Provost and Executive Vice President, Florida International University. “These kinds of partnerships are critical to the success of a public awareness campaign.”
“The Miami Epidemic” WPBT2 TV special is a new initiative of the TellSomebodyNow campaign, an FIU community engagement project focusing on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
About The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Florida International University is at the forefront of global and strategic communications education. With more than 2,100 students, 82 percent minority, the school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs in advertising, journalism, and public relations – including its Spanish-language Journalism master’s program, the first of its kind in the United States. As one of only 25% of all communication schools in the country fully accredited by ACEJMC, the SJMC is rated in the Top 3 nationally for undergraduate communication degrees awarded to Hispanics. The School’s master’s program in Global Strategic Communications emphasizes global decision making and has rapidly become a model for other such graduate programs in the country, underscoring the importance of global learning initiatives and international citizenship.
ABOUT WPBT2
South Florida’s premier public broadcaster, WPBT2, is a community-licensed, not-for-profit media enterprise serving communities from the Treasure Coast to the Florida Keys. WPBT2 provides high quality content from PBS, independent acquisitions and its own original productions. WPBT2’s digital media platform, offers: 2HD, a 24-hour high definition channel; Digital 2.2, a mix of Science & Nature Channel, The Florida Channel and Create; Digital 2.3, V-me, a 24-hour national Spanish-language network; and www.wpbt2.org, the WPBT2 website including, Impromp2 (a community blog), the WPBT2 Video Player and uVu, a video sharing website.
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