Despite nearly universal support for organ, eye, and tissue transplantation, more than one third of adults in the United States are not registered donors according to Donate Life America (2022). Given the shortage of registered donors, research continues to identify registration barriers including, but not limited to, medical mistrust along with an unclear understanding of the organ transplantation process. The miseducation on this life-saving procedure is unfortunate as approximately 106,000 Americans find themselves on the national waiting list; sadly 20 of these patients will die daily and a new name is added every 9 minutes (United Network for Organ Sharing, 2022). Societal miseducation continues to be informed by medical TV dramas, a commonly cited source for transplant information. The current talk will highlight important takeaways from a systematic content analysis of the first 15 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s Anatomy was selected because its storylines address a variety of health issues, including frequent exposure to organ donation. Moreover, Grey’s Anatomy has proved its staying power as ABC’s top-rated show while in its 15th season. The results are discussed with an emphasis on coverage trends across the 15 seasons as well as important implications for practitioners and researchers.
강연자 소개:
Brian Quick is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also holds an appointment in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois. Professor Quick is also the Director of the Online Master of Science degree in Health Communication. Professor Quick’s research and teaching interests are in social marketing. His recent work examines various strategies to promote public health, environmental conservation, injury prevention, safety, financial stability, and community engagement. Together, Professor Quick and his associates strive to save lives as well as greatly improve the quality of life for individuals. In addition to designing, implementing, and evaluating social marketing campaigns, Professor Quick’s work examines the role of cognition and emotion when processing ads as well as media portrayals of important societal issues to understand how these messages create, change, and reinforce belief structures.
