Hsien-Hsien Lei has her BA from Stanford University in Human Biology and her PhD. From Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Epidemiology. She’s been involved in the scientific community since high school and her area of expertise is in the genetic epidemiology of cardiovascular disease, including diabetes and kidney disease. She is also a Blogger for b5media writing GeneticsAndHealth.com and AHeartyLife.com, as well as being the Channel Editor for all of b5’s Science and Health and Family and Relationships blogs.
Hsien-Hsien Lei’s two blogs have been mentioned quite a bit lately in the press. Just this week alone The LA Times featured her blog AHeartyLife.com, GeneticsAndHealth.com was mentioned at the California Healthcare Foundation's iHealthBeat, and the Detroit Free Press and Duke GenomeLIFE magazine spoke about her work as a science and health blogger. Forbes has Genetics and Health listed as “Best of the Web” and FOX News touts her among the top ten best health blogs.
One would think all of the above would not only tell you that when Ms. Lei talks about science and health, she certainly has the educational background and validation from various publications to flaunt that she knows what she is talking about. So when she recently applied to EurekAlert, an online, global news service operated by AAAS, the science society, she was dumbfounded that her application was denied. Their website states that, “Qualified reporters and freelancers can access embargoed and breaking news, peer-reviewed journals, experts and other valuable resources through EurekAlert.” After being denied, Ms. Lei emailed asking them to reconsider and was told that EurekAlert did not recognize Bloggers as legitimate journalists and that their decision would remain. As I mentioned in a previous post, it is unfortunate when an online media service discriminates against Blogging, especially when the Blogger is a well-respected medical professional. I decided to take this as an opportunity to interview Ms. Lei and get to know more about her.
Why did you want to join EurekAlert and what did you feel the value would be?
I actually did it as sort of a lark. I was on their site and thought it was really informational and useful. As part of my everyday science and health blogging, I read a tremendous amount of poorly written press releases and it usually takes me a good deal of research to flesh them out. I thought if I could gain access to the registered user section, I could get embargoed press releases early and prepare my posts for publication on my blogs, GeneticsAndHealth.com and AHeartyLife.com, ASAP. Also, their registration form states that there's other information available to registered reporters and editors and I thought that might be useful for me to accomplish my goal of effective science communication.
What does the content of your blogs focus on? Is it from your own research, press releases, medical publications or a combination?
My blog is about the impact genetics, genes, and DNA has on our everyday lives. I am convinced (barring World War III) that the genome revolution is the biggest influence we will experience in the 21st century and I'm working to educate people on how to take advantage of it for improving their health and lifestyle. And, of course, DNA is just plain fascinating and I hope to share my enthusiasm for science and genetics. We could never have too many scientists!
Do you feel that the medical field itself sees value in Blogging?
Many doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals blog and it has been a tremendous resource for sharing information and opinion. (See Detroit Free Press article for more.) Of course, Blogging is still not at the point where the majority of people actively participate, but my guess is that most read one or more blogs on a regular basis. Blogs are wonderful because they humanize science and health.
How you feel about your application being denied by EurekAlert and what, if anything, do you plan to do about it?
I am incredibly disappointed that I wasn't treated fairly by AAAS EurekAlert! I'm not trying to make a stink for the heck of it but I truly believe some Bloggers deserve the respect accorded to other freelance writers and reporters. The Internet is a huge source of information for many people and to deny me access to embargoed materials simply because my writing appears solely in blog format is shortsighted and unfair.
Who are some of the scientific and press release sites that do value you as a blogger and haven’t discriminated against your work simply because you chose to use blogging as your medium?
New Scientist, Scientific American, HarperCollins, William Morrow, FOX News, PR firms, and many others understand the power of blogging and have even worked hard to incorporate blogs in their own daily operations. I appreciate very much being treated seriously and being included in their efforts.
Would you say that there are a lot of non-legitimate health Bloggers out there? Or are they all pretty much in the medical field in one way or another?
Depends on what you mean by legitimate. Certainly, I feel that those of us with specialized degrees are particularly well-qualified to write about health (if we're capable of stringing together a coherent sentence ;), but at the same time, patients and caregivers are also qualified since they've been through the process themselves. I think the only true illegitimate Bloggers are spam Bloggers or those who do not provide a unique, well-researched perspective on their topic. And I believe all Bloggers should be completely transparent as to their affiliations. That's why I've encouraged people to join the Genetics and Health honor roll by answering the 10 disclosure questions from the National Institutes of Health.
