171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
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800-424-MUSC
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June 2007
Feature Story
Children's Hospital puts awareness "in the bag" at national conference
 At the Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting in Toronto last month, attendees lined up at the MUSC Children's Hospital exhibit booth with hopes of getting a colorful beach bag embroidered with the hospital name and logo, and filled with information about the university and the city.
"Well over 1,000 bags were distributed," says David Roof, administrator and director of operations for the department of pediatrics. Along with Mike McGinnis, director of finance and administration, Roof organized and planned the hospital's participation at the national/international event, which draws more than 6,000 attendees focused on academic medicine.
"We saw people walking around Toronto with our bags," says Roof. "Mike became known as 'the bag man.'"
The goal? To make MUSC Children's Hospital a recognized name in pediatric medicine, research and teaching so it can attract the best medical professionals -- now and in the future.
"Our presence at this conference will hopefully foster a deeper and broader awareness, so the educators, specialists and students in attendance from across the US, Canada and beyond will better understand who we are and what we're about," explains Roof. "We want them to know MUSC Children's Hospital is the place to go to partner with a dynamic faculty, in a hospital that's willing to invest in promising careers. It's an important step toward assuring continuity of care."
There's a surprising segment of the population who don't know about Charleston, say both men. They organized a straightforward display to hook participants and draw them into the booth, which featured running video on the DCRI, information on research and hospital accomplishments, as well as visitor information and consumer publications on Charleston.
Roof says the objective is to get in league with and achieve the same recognition as other, better-known teaching hospitals across the country, such as St. Jude's and Children's Hospital Boston. The conference draws an international crowd; several subspecialty organizations and related societies plan their annual meetings in conjunction with it. As one of 125 teaching hospitals participating in the event, MUSC's presentation included more than a dozen abstracts on promising research for children.
"By being more identifiable and increasing our visibility, we're better able to build a pipeline of future contacts," explains McGinnis. "As the pediatric department continues to grow, we want to continue to build a presence so these professionals remember us in the future when they're looking for a career or location change."
 In the first 90 minutes, more than 700 people visited the booth, which was manned by various faculty members throughout the conference, including Drs. William Basco, Sarah Taylor and Janice Key. "These faculty members were very interactive with booth visitors, and had substantial conversations about what they do at MUSC," notes Roof. Though MUSC typically presents at the meeting, sponsoring a booth exhibit is a relatively new project now in its second year. This year, response garnered more than 200 contacts.
With plans to sponsor a booth for at least five years, the Children's Hospital is taking the opportunity to build relationships with young individuals who are in the developing or training phase of their careers, says Roof. "As they approach the end of training and are looking to launch their careers, they'll know more about our hospital. They'll have had two or three years to interact with us."
The goal is two-tiered, to foster relationships not only with the trainees, but also the trainers. Meeting the fellowship directors and others who are training these new young researchers and clinicians gives MUSC an added advantage.
To generate interest and underscore the Children's Hospital's investment in young careers, the booth included details on the K-12 Award, a two- to five-year training program designed to prepare outstanding junior faculty to become independent investigators in basic children's health.
"This award is especially attractive to professionals about to embark on their first 'job' after training because it offers them a chance to continue research," says Roof.
Next year's plans will likely include the addition of an evening reception. "We'll invite the contacts we made this year, giving us a chance to interact in a more relaxed setting," says Roof.
"We're planning for the future, actively seeking the professionals who will continue our tradition of providing excellent health care for the children in our state," notes McGinnis. "We want to ensure that we always have great people striving to provide great health care."
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