Please be advised:
Advance registrations are no longer being accepted. Howvever, if you would still like to register for the conference, you may do so at the event by visiting the PRSA Registration Desk, which will be located in the National Ballroom Foyer of the Westin City Center at the following times:

Wednesday, May 13, Noon – 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 14, 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Friday, May 15, 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Please note: Walk-up registrations are not guaranteed and will be accepted on a space-available basis.

Follow and discuss the conference on Twitter using hashtag #ha2009.

Conference Presentations are now Available!! (must log on with Membernet ID)
For Thursday- Click here
For Friday- Click here

Walk away from this year's conference with critical cost-saving tactics and strategies that you can immediately incorporate at your organization!

Rethinking your communications strategies is becoming more critical by the day, and getting critical tools for this will not only help your health care organization and clients save time and money, but also succeed in this challenging economy. This is why attending the 2009 Health Academy Conference will be extremely valuable to you and your organization. The three-day event will showcase some of the top practitioners of social media in health care who will give you what you need to leverage this inexpensive and powerful tool. You will:

• Leverage social media to make the most of opportunities in a changing financial environment.
  
  
• Leverage blogosphere influentials to help carry your message.
  
  
• Find out how news media are incorporating user-generated content into new media strategies.
  
  
• Get updates and analysis on health care-reform and how it will impact the health care industry.
  
  
• Get started in the Health Blogosphere.
  
  
• Discover how the latest breakthroughs in health care information technology are advancing the frontiers of social media.

Conference Highlights

Josh Bernoff
Co-Author
“Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies”
(Keynote Speaker on May 14)
The groundswell is global, it is unstoppable, it affects every industry and it represents a revolution in the way we must approach public relations in every sense of the word. Learn from Bernoff why you need to be involved in the groundswell and how you can leverage it to your advantage.



Mara Liasson
Political Correspondent
National Public Radio (NPR)
(Keynote Speaker on May 15)
Get a unique, inside-the-Beltway perspective from Liasson on the historic Barack Obama White House. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR’s award-winning newsmagazines “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” Liasson provides extensive coverage of politics and policy from Washington, D.C. — focusing on the White House and Congress — and also reports on political trends beyond the Beltway.


Jennifer Martin
Director of Public Relations
CNN
(Keynote Speaker on May 15)
Learn from Martin how the power of social media has given CNN the ability to react and respond instantaneously and tailor its communications and conversations with its diverse audience, including other journalists and influential bloggers.



Plenary & Concurrent Sessions (May 14 & 15):

• The Best Web Site in Health Care?
• Using Social Media to Effectively Reach Your Audience
• Lean Forward and Click!
• Innovative Use of Social Media in Health Care: From Facebook to CarePages
• Let’s Talk About Tech: How to Find and Promote Your Health Care Information Technology Story
• The Evolution of Media Skills Training: How Messaging, Preparing Spokespersons and Crisis Response Changes in the 24/7 Web 2.0 World
• Influencing and Reaching the Wellness-Motivated Consumer
• Targeting and Reaching Web Influencers in the Health Care Community
• “Traditional” PR Is So 80s: Lessons Learned From Consumer PR
• Engaging Youth Through Interactive Marketing and Media
• Sphere of Influence of Key Opinion Leaders in Health Care Social Media
• Humanizing Health Policy Through Blogs, V-logs and Social Media
• The Next New Model of Web-Based Journalism: An Insider’s Perspective
• Social Media as a Component of an Overall Charitable Giving Strategy
• Case Histories from the Front Lines of Social Media
• The Impact of Social Media on Health Care
• The New Global Dynamics of Health Care Engagement
• Engaging Young Girls in Smoking Prevention: A Web-Based Strategy for Intervention
• Accountability and Transparency in the Twitter/YouTube Era: Lessons from Barack, Bachmann and BOB
  

Pre-Conference Seminar at the Department of Veterans Affairs (May 13)
Witness TroopTube, the Army’s answer to YouTube and its amazing DVIDS (Digital Video and Imagery Delivery System). Also learn about My HealtheVet, a Web-based product that gives veterans information and tools to improve their health.

Click here or navigate left hand menu to view entire conference schedule or download a PDF the print conference brochure.

Still Need to Book Hotel Accommodations?
Call the Westin Hotel, City Center at (202) 429-1700. (The PRSA Room Block is closed but the hotel may still have space available.)

If you are in need of another hotel, there are a number of other nearby hotels including the Hilton Embassy Row at (202) 265-1600, Four Points by Sheraton at (202) 289-7600 and the Washington Plaza at (202) 842-1300. You can also try online booking sites such as Expedia or Hotels.com to get the best rates. (Bear in mind, there are multiple citywide conferences and hotel rooms are selling out.) Please note these hotels are not affiliated with the conference and space is not guaranteed. 

Discounted Travel

Delta Air Lines is offering 5-10% discounts off eligible published fares to Health Academy Conference attendees. Click here to access full details.

Thank you to our Conference Sponsors to Date:
(Click on sponsor logos to view their Web sites.)

Conference Attendee Bag:




All-Conference Supporters:

          

Networking Reception Sponsor:

Press Releases:

Health Academy Friend:

Paper Competition:

Media Sponsor:

Intereseted in Being a Health Academy Conference Sponsor? Opportunties Are Still Available.
View our sponsorship levels and benefits by clicking here. If you have questions, send an e-mail to Don Bill or call (212) 460-1456.