Massachusetts Medical Society's Physician Focus

The Measles Outbreak and The Value of Vaccines
The current measles outbreak, in large part due to unvaccinated individuals, has prompted renewed concern by physicians and public health officials over vaccines and immunization. How and why are these diseases making a comeback? Why are patients and their parents avoiding vaccines in the face of scientific evidence of their preventive value? What are the risks of vaccination? What are the risks of not getting immunized? And what can physicians do to reinforce the importance of vaccines for both children and adults, called one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century?

Physician Focus is a monthly, half-hour educational talk show that brings important health and medical information from practicing physicians and health care professionals to people and patients of all ages.

Produced for public access television stations, Physician Focus is a collaborative effort of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the statewide organization of physicians, and HCAM-TV, Hopkinton. The program is distributed each month to 195 Massachusetts public access television stations, reaching some 272 communities and an estimated 1.9 million cable households.* The program also has a national reach, available to public access stations across the U.S. via download from the transfer site, pegmedia.org. It is also available on iTunes. With statewide and national broadcasts, Physician Focus reaches an estimated 2.5 million households.

In each edition, members of the Medical Society share their knowledge and expertise in patient-friendly discussions with a physician host. The principal program host is Bruce Karlin, M.D., a primary care physician in Worcester, Mass. Other regular hosts include Mavis Jaworski, M.D., a primary care physician, James Kenealy, M.D., an otolaryngologist; Lynda Young, M.D., a pediatrician; and John Fromson, M.D., a psychiatrist. Other physicians may appear as guest hosts from time to time.

The Massachusetts Medical Society develops the content and distributes the programs to public access stations as a public service. HCAM-TV provides the studio and production facilities. The show is taped two months in advance of distribution.

Executive Producer of the show is Richard Gulla of the Medical Society’s media relations office. The program is produced by HCAM Station Manager Jim Cozzens and directed by HCAM’s Michael Torosian. Mr. Cozzens has over 25 years experience producing programs and overseeing community access television stations, and Mr. Gulla has more than 25 years experience in public relations and communications for some of the region's largest nonprofit and media organizations. The producers welcome inquiries and comments. Write to PhysicianFocus@mms.org.

*Subscriber figures from Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy, Cable Television Division

The Causes of Cancer: Bad Luck, Lifestyle, or More?
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease. Recent reports have indicated that most cancer types are just the result of “bad luck,” or chance mutations of cells. Other reports indicate that lifestyle choices, like smoking and poor diet, lead to cancer. Yet recent surveys have indicated a troubling lack of public awareness about the disease and its causes. What are the key risk factors for cancer? Can cancer be prevented? Is it indeed the result of just “bad luck”? And how much does the American public know about cancer?