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Web team recognized among best in nation

by Mary Helen Yarborough
Public Relations
The young, lean Web program of MUSC’s Business Development and Marketing Services (BDMS) has made heads of major American hospital systems turn over its stealth Web and e-health services.
 
The Web team includes Betsy Reves, from left, Kim Haynes, Sujit Kar, Dave Bennett, Christine Gainer, Dr. Linda Austin and Charlene Xie.

During the 11th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference in Las Vegas Nov. 4-6, BDMS' Web division won five top awards and recognition from more than 1,000 health organizations involved in the booming e-health care field.
 
The seven-member Web team, led by Dave Bennett, won three Greystone.Net Awards: a gold award for best use of multimedia and social networking; gold award for innovation; and a bronze award for best overall Web site.
 
The team also took home two top eHealthcare Leadership awards: a platinum award for best rich media; and a distinction award for best health care content.
 
“This shows how a small group of people can compete and win,” said Bennett who also was a featured speaker at the conference. “And we did it with our first try.”
 
MUSC’s Web marketing team is only about two years old, though the program started more than five years ago. Since then MUSC has been developing a comprehensive program involving the use of a sophisticated content management system , Bennett said. Last year was the first time MUSC competed for either of the awards, which draw thousands of entries, and some of which are peer-reviewed.
 
“We’ve gone from a little program with a handful of pages to a site consisting of thousands of pages and hundreds of examples of rich media including video and audio podcasts,” Bennett said. “The big guys ask, ‘How do you do this with so few people?’ And I just say, ‘I’m the luckiest guy on Earth. I have a fantastic team that loves what they do.”
 
Bennett said the team has excelled in uniting technical with nontechnical skills to produce a highly integrated network of technologists, marketing and Web content specialists.
 
“This is a multi-talented group and everyone here is cross-trained,” Bennett said. “Everything we do, we do together. And we work toward perfection.”
 
An example of the Web team’s accomplishments is the comprehensive podcast library, which was launched in September. Considered by industry experts as one of the best among all teaching hospitals in the nation, the audio and video files cover a wide arrange of health topics, including aging, cancer, hearth health, mental health, preventative health and weight loss.
 
Podcasts are hosted by MUSC medical professionals, including physicians and staff, and include interviews with patients.
 
The library can be accessed at http://www.muschealth.com/multimedia/Podcasts/index.aspx. Users can subscribe to the podcasts by going to http://muschealth,com/rss/index.htm.
   

Friday, Nov. 23, 2007
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.