Wall Street Journal medical writer to speak at McClung
Ron Winslow, a distinguished science writer for the Wall Street Journal, will speak on March 11 at the McClung Museum for the 22nd installment of the Alfred and Julia Hill lecture series. Winslow is widely recognized as the dean of medical writing by journalists, editors and scientists. He will be presenting “Covering Science: Worst of Times, Best of Times.”
“I’m concerned about the challenges science writers face from declining staff positions, disruptions in conventional news media and science denial in much of the population,” Winslow said. “Yet I’m encouraged by the opportunities offered by blogs and other new media opportunities and by the incredible pace of discovery across science but especially in medicine.”
Winslow was awarded the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting in 2011 and the Howard Lewis Award for career achievement in medical reporting from the American Heart Association in 2003.
“When I read a Ron Winslow story, I know I’m in completely trustworthy hands,” said a judge for the Victor Cohn Prize.
Tom Hill and his sister, Mary Frances Hill-Holter, established the Alfred and Julia Hill lecture series, named after their parents, in 1989 as a means to bring science and mass media together at the University of Tennessee. Without the Hill family’s contribution, the science writing program for the College of Communication and Information would not exist today. Tom Hill is expected to attend the Winslow lecture, as well as many faculty members and students from varying disciplines.
Winslow is deputy bureau chief for health and science at the Wall Street Journal and has been writing for the publication since 1983. He has written over 1,400 articles for the journal, specializing in coverage of medical research and its impact on the healthcare system. Winslow writes extensively on the development and deployment of new drugs, the effects they have on the market and overall patient health.
His career in journalism started after he graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in history. He later went on to write for publications like Rhode Island’s Providence Journal, the New York Times Magazine, the Boston Globe Magazine and others. After joining the staff for Wall Street Journal, he transitioned from a technology writer that reported on electric utilities and nuclear power to their assistant national news editor, taking over editorial responsibilities for the magazine’s science and energy section.
Professor Mark Littmann, who’s endowed professorship was made possible by the Hill family, says he is “looking forward to getting to know him [Winslow] and enjoying his lecture.”
Edited by Maggie Jones
