Crafting Compelling Voices: Writing and Publishing Impactful Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor
Are you deeply committed to a specific healthcare issue, aiming to shape public opinion, influence policy, or narrate a compelling personal journey? Leverage your expertise in healthcare as your written opinions, grounded in both professional and personal
experiences, hold credibility and significance for the media and the public. This 4-module online activity is designed to empower you with the skills and assurance needed to compose Op-Eds (Opinion Editorials) and Letters to the Editor. These powerful
tools not only articulate your viewpoints but also contribute to fostering positive change within the broader community through impactful media amplification.
Module 1: Topics, Relevancy and Content Development Strategies
Unleash the power of persuasive writing and thought leadership in the dynamic world of Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor with this session that is designed for physicians
and other health care professionals who are aspiring opinion writers and content creators. This session delves into the intricacies of Op-Eds/Letters to the Editor composition, focusing on key elements such as topics selection, relevancy, and content
development strategies.
- Choose compelling subjects that resonate with your target audience.
- Infuse your writing with unique perspectives that position you as a thought leader.
- Balance personal perspective and professional integrity.
- Explore the art of building a strong argument and supporting it with evidence.
Module 2: Organizing Thoughts to Create Impact and Drive Change Through Media Amplification
In the vibrant landscape of media, the ability to articulate compelling thoughts and drive change through Op-Eds and Letters to the
Editor is a valuable skill. Learners will delve into the art of opinion writing, understanding how to distill complex ideas into clear and persuasive narratives. This session is designed to empower learners with the knowledge and techniques needed
to organize their thoughts effectively, craft impactful Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor, and amplify their messages through media channels.
- Define the structure of a strong Op-Ed and Letter to the Editor.
- Craft persuasive arguments and compelling narratives.
- Align Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor to relevant news cycles and capitalize on trending topics.
- Build a personal brand as an opinion writer.
Module 3: Maneuvering in Today’s Media Environment
In an era dominated by rapidly evolving media platforms and information channels, the ability to navigate and critically engage with the media landscape is crucial. This session
is designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to maneuver through today's complex media environment effectively.
- Develop a foundation in media literacy to discern between credible and unreliable sources and information.
- Determine the impact of media bias, misinformation, and disinformation on public discourse.
- Describe the concept of bias in media and strategies to identify and navigate it.
- Stay updated on the latest trends and technologies shaping the media landscape.
Module 4: Strategic
Placement and Maximizing Opportunity
In the dynamic landscape of media and journalism, the art of crafting and placing persuasive Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor is an essential skill. This session is designed to equip participants with the
knowledge and strategies needed to strategically position and maximize the impact of their Op-Ed pieces.
- Build relationships with editors and publishers.
- Navigate editorial guidelines and preferences.
- Pitch Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor ideas effectively.
- Solicit constructive feedback from editors and peers.
- Refine Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor for greater impact.
Faculty
Thomas Flanagan
Thomas
(Tom) Flanagan joined Massachusetts Medical Society in 2017 as media relations manager after five years with the American Cancer Society’s New England Division in Framingham. While with ACS, Tom served in various functions within the organization’s
communications structure, including communications manager, media relations manager, and communications director, a role in which he led the Society’s New England Division communications team. Tom’s work also included crossover with the American Cancer
Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy arm of ACS. Early in his career, Tom was a reporter at the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and was an editor with Herald Media/Gatehouse Media. Tom has a BA in English from Worcester State University
and dabbles in occasional freelance writing, most frequently for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.
Debra Malina, PhD
Debra Malina is the Perspective Editor at the
New
England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Before landing at the Journal, she earned a PhD in English, taught a variety of literature courses, and published a book on postmodern fiction and narrative theory, in addition to working as a writer
and editor. She joined NEJM as a manuscript editor in 2000 and moved into the newly created Perspective section three years later. In her current role, she commissions, selects, and edits manuscripts on a wide range of topics at the intersections
of medicine and society; develops and manages article series; edits and oversees two fledgling podcasts; works with the Journal’s illustrators on Graphic Perspectives; develops concepts for Perspective-based videos; and conceives and manages
video roundtable discussions. She has led writing workshops for physicians and trainees at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Colorado.
Don Martelli
Don
Martelli is a seasoned communications professional with over 20 years of expertise in public relations and strategic communications. Beginning his career as a journalist for the Boston Globe, Don transitioned into roles within boutique agencies, global
firms, and client-side positions. His diverse skill set includes crisis management, reputation building, and thought leadership initiatives, making him a valuable asset to organizations across sectors. As a former agency president and consultant,
Don has demonstrated leadership in driving teams and delivering measurable results for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Mary
Beth Miotto, MD, MPH
“As a public health physician and community pediatrician, my clinical activities alone aren’t enough. Advocacy is an integral ingredient in my work to bring health and well-being to families.” Mary Beth Miotto, MD, MPH, FAAP
is a general pediatrician at the Mattapan Community Health Center in Boston and serves as the Immediate Past President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP). Mary Beth completed her medical training at the George
Washington University School of Medicine, her pediatric residency at the Children’s National Medical Center, and her Master of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Miotto co-chairs the Massachusetts Medical Society
(MMS) Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine, chairs the MMS Communications Advisory Group, and has recently led the Women Physicians Section and Middlesex West District. She serves on the HRSA/American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures
Advisory Team, the executive committee of AAP Council on Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (COQIPS), and the AAP Quality Improvement Education Advisory Group. Mary Beth has received the 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society Special Award for Excellence
in Medical Service, the 2022 American Academy of Pediatrics Special Achievement Award, and the Mass School Nurse Organization Friend of School Health Award. The Boston Globe and other media outlets have published her opinion pieces and letters to
the editor, and she has been interviewed for print, radio, television, and podcasts.
Interviewees
Katherine J. Atkinson, MD
Katherine (Kate) J.
Atkinson, MD is a family physician and Medical Director at Atkinson Family Practice in Amherst and Northampton, Massachusetts. Dr. Atkinson has been an active member of the Massachusetts Medical Society since 1992 and dedicates effort to multiple
committees. She is a member of the MMS Board of Trustees and the House of Delegates. Dr. Atkison is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and is Board-Certified by the American Board of Family Physicians. She is an Assistant Professor
of Family and Community Medicine at UMass Chan and Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. She has been given outstanding teaching awards by both medical schools and the Family Physician Educator of the Year Award by the Massachusetts Academy of Family
Physicians. Dr. Atkinson is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and did her residency in family medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. She began her career as a Registered Nurse in California, having received
her BSN from California State University in Los Angeles. Her work in oncology and hospice spurred her interest in transitioning to medicine from nursing.
LaShyra “Lash” Nolen, MD, MPP
Born
and raised in Southern California, LaShyra “Lash” Nolen is a writer, healer, and physician activist. She is a primary care internal resident physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital DGM Primary Care Program where her work centers on increasing
access to medical care for marginalized populations, antiracism in medical education, and theorizing reparatory policy frameworks to address the inequitable health outcomes of Black people. A leading voice for health equity, her work has been featured
in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Boston Globe, and Teen Vogue, among others. She has also authored two children's books and dozens of articles, including book chapters. Lash is the founding executive director of We Got Us, a youth and student-led
grassroots community empowerment project with the mission to increase access to education and healing for marginalized communities. She has served as a member of the White House Health Equity Roundtable and is an advising editor for Harvard’s Perspectives
in Primary Care and host of the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability (IARA) Project’s video series, “Truth Be Known”. Lash graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School where she became the first Black woman elected as student council president.
She also obtained her masters in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government where she was a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellow where she worked with the City of Boston and the City of Cambridge
on health equity initiatives related to alternatives for public safety and economic development. Lash attended Loyola Marymount University where she served as student body president and graduated cum laude with a BS in Health and Human Science. Following
her graduation, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar and served as an AmeriCorps member where she led public health initiatives to improve care for vulnerable populations. Her work has earned her the honor of being named a Forbes “30 Under 30”
Leader in Healthcare, a 2024 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health awardee, the 2020 National Minority Quality Forum’s youngest “40 under 40 Leader in Minority Health”, a Boston Celtics “Hero Among Us”, and a Rock Health "Top 50 Leader
in Digital Health”.
David A. Rosman, MD, MBA
Dr.
Rosman is the Deputy Chief of Radiology, Mass General Brigham overseeing Enterprise Service. In this role he is launching a fully subspecialized radiology group serving the community hospitals and outpatient imaging sites of Mass General Brigham.
He is also oversees all outpatient imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Mass General Physicians Organization. He has built multiple imaging centers markedly expanding the number and diversity of patients served expanding access in the
community. Dr. Rosman served as the youngest ever President of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the oldest medical society in the country. He spent his year advocating for and moving the needle on anti-racism and health equity not only as it pertained
to COVID but also to the underlying systemic racism that leads to inequity throughout (among other things) our health system. Dr. Rosman is also passionate about global health – particularly with an emphasis in sustainable solutions and anti-colonialism.
He helped the local physicians start the first ever Radiology residency in Rwanda while living there with his wife (a Pediatric Emergency physician who was likewise starting the pediatrics residency) and two children (age 1 and 3 at the time). He
continues to return and teach in Rwanda now bringing senior residents and fellows in a bidirectional exchange.
Deeb N. Salem, MD
Dr.
Deeb N. Salem is currently the Senior Vice President for Academic Integration for Tufts Medicine and Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Salem received his BA and MD from Boston University (six-year medical program) in
1968. He is a Fellow College of Physicians, and the American College of Chest Physicians. He was the Chairman of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine as well as the Physician-in-Chief at the Tufts Medical Center and the Sheldon M Wolff
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine from 2000 to 2021. Dr. Salem has had a distinguished career as an academic cardiologist. In 1987, he was appointed Professor of Medicine at Tufts University
School of Medicine. He served as Chief of Cardiology at the Tufts Medical Center from 1987 to 1995. Dr. Salem has been President of the New England Cardiovascular Society. He was the founding President of the New England Affiliate of the American
Heart Association. His academic accomplishments include over one hundred and ninety scientific publications. He is recognized as a national expert in coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. Dr. Salem received the Distinguished Alumni
Award from Boston University School of Medicine in 1998, the Distinguished Faculty Award from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1998, an American Heart Association Great Communicator Award in 1999 and an American Heart Association Distinguished
Leadership Award in 2000. He received the Massachusetts Physician Health Service Distinguished Service Award in 2003. In 2007, Dr. Salem was the recipient of the American Heart Association’s Paul Dudley White Lifetime Achievement award. In August
of 2007, Dr. Salem received the Champions in Healthcare, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boston Business Journal. From 2007-2009, Dr. Salem was an Editor-in-Chief of the Images. In 2010 Dr. Salem was awarded the Tufts Medical Center Working Wonders
Lifetime Achievement award. He has served on the Executive Board of the Board of Trustees of Tufts Medical Center and is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Affiliate of the American Heart Association. From2014 -16 Dr. Salem
served on the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Hospital Association. Dr. Salem is also a board of director of the Wang Chinatown YMCA, and was appointed the Chairman of the Board of the Asian American Civic Association in 2021. He has served
on the boards of New England Quality Care Alliance, the Tufts Medical Center Physicians Organization, the Tufts Health Care Institute, and the Ray Tye Medical Foundation. He was elected to the Publications Committee of the New England Journal of Medicine
in 2003, served as the Vice Chair in 2009 following which he served as a committee advisor until 2021. He has repeatedly been listed in Boston Magazine as one of “Boston’s Best”. In 2009, Dr. Salem was invited to participate on the Mass Medical
Society’s Committee on Sponsored Programs and has served as its Chair. In 2016 Dr. Salem received the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Award for Medical Service. Dr. Salem served as Interim President of the New England Medical Center in 1997 and Interim
Co-CEO of Tufts Medical Center in 2018. In May 2021 Dr. Salem received the coveted Tufts University School of Medicine Dean’s Medal in recognition of extraordinary service. In 2024 Tufts Medical Center honored Dr. Salem by naming 35 Kneeland St. the
“Deeb Salem” building.
Intended
Audience
This activity is designed for physicians, physicians-in-training, and other health care leaders, professionals and students.
Course
Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, learners should be able to:
-
Research and organize ideas to write clear, concise persuasive messages to your target audience.
- Identify -the appropriate media outlet(s) and create strategies to submit persuasive messages.
- Promote your personal brand, persuasive message, and influence your audience through media channels.
Accreditation & Credit Information
Accreditation
Statement
The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
AMA Credit
Designation Statement
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation
in the activity.
National Commission on Certification
of Physicians Assistant (NCCPA)
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 1.50 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state
medical society.
Exam/Assessment: A score of 70% or higher is required to receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Course
Fees
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Physician Member: $60.00
MMS Resident/Student Member: Free
Non-Member Physician: $135.00
Non-Members Resident/Student: $30.00
Allied Health Professional/Other: $48.00
Activity Term
Original Release Date: August 7, 2024
Review Date(s): N/A
Termination Date: August 7, 2027
Format and Estimated Time
to Complete: Video recordings/ Supplemental Educational Materials - 1.5 hours
System Requirements
Desktops/Laptops
Windows 10
Mac OSX 10.6 higher
Most modern browsers including
IE 11+
Firefox 18.0+
Chrome latest version
Safari 12+
Mobile/Tablet
iOS devices beginning with OS version 10 or higher (includes, iPhone, iPad and iTouch devices)
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Contact Us
Contact us at nejmcust@mms.org or (800) 843-6356. Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451.
