Health Sciences Office of Communications Takes Home Top Honors
The University of Arizona Health Sciences Office of Communications garnered five awards at the Public Relations Society of America – Southern Arizona IMPACT Awards ceremony on Nov. 2, winning regional industry recognition for a broad range of communications content and public relations activities. The award-winning entries included written, video and social media content; graphic design, photography and animation; and media and community relations outreach.
Caroline Berger (right), director of Phoenix corporate and community relations for Health Sciences, accepts the Best of Show award for the highest score among any type of communications and public relations for the Office of Communications’ Connect2STEM community engagement event.
The Office of Communications team took home an Award of Excellence in two categories, a Certificate of Excellence Merit Award in two categories and a Best of Show Award for the highest score among all categories.
“One of the ways that we as communications and public relations professionals can measure success is by peer recognition that the work we produce on behalf of our institution is of the highest quality,” said Mark Lane, associate vice president for communications at UArizona Health Sciences.
The Health Sciences Office of Communications was created in 2019 to establish the Health Sciences brand and build awareness and engagement with internal and external audiences including faculty, staff and students, health care consumers and thought leaders, peer institutions, and corporate and community partners.
“I consider myself privileged to work with a team that is second to none in their commitment to quality work and their passion for promoting the University of Arizona Health Sciences,” said Lane.
The Office of Communications won an Award of Excellence for:
- Social Media Campaign, for the Expert Insights series, which included video content and social media.
- Community Relations, for Connect2STEM, which included campus communications, social media, media relations, and corporate and community relations event execution.
The Office of Communications won a Certificate of Excellence Merit Award for:
- General Communications, for “Antibodies Shown to Provide Long-Term Immunity Against COVID-19,” which included a feature article, feature video, social media video, news release/media relations, photography and animation.
- Communications Program for News Media, for “Pain Relief Caused by SARS-CoV-2 Infection May Help Explain COVID-19 Spread,” which included a news release/media relations, feature video, animation and photography.
In addition, the office was awarded Best of Show for the highest score among any type of communications and public relations for Connect2STEM.
The 2021 edition of Connect2Stem on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus was a successful reimagining of the city’s most popular event for connecting Phoenix-area children and their families to science, technology, engineering, math and medicine.
Because of COVID-19 protocols, the event became a drive-through experience, featuring 30 STEM-related exhibits. Attendees engaged each exhibit station as they drove through different levels of the campus’ parking garage. The event was presented by Health Sciences and partners Cox Communications and the Arizona SciTech Institute. Exhibitors included the College of Medicine – Phoenix, UArizona Cancer Center, Cooperative Extension, All of Us Research Program and Near to You Network. Connect2STEM has welcomed more than 40,000 attendees over the last six years.