LabTV Filmmakers Generate Role Models from Yale University's Medical Researchers

    STAMFORD, CT, July 10, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- LabTV announced that Yale University in New Haven, CT has agreed to create short human-interest videos about the young men and women that are forming the new direction of medical research in the university research labs. Encouraging the next generation into the field through role models is the goal of LabTV filmmakers.

LabTV itself is an online video platform that showcases short, human-interest videos of young medical scientists. Energizing students in high school and college to become part of the research field is possible through giving students access to the passion and curiosity of the young scientists. Medical doctors are visible and commendable, but researchers are necessary to continue progress and innovation to find new cures, understand new diseases and create new treatments.

To bolster participation and form a new generation of inquisitive minds, LabTV is creating role models by creating personal connections between students and the passion of medical researchers. Often scientists stories are lost behind intimidating medical journals, but new generations need to see the real people behind the impressive discoveries, to learn that they too can become "tomorrow's heroes of medical research."

Yale University is a welcome partner to the LabTV initiative, not only for the top notch research facilities, but also for the contribution from the communications department.

As Michael Fitzsousa, Director of Strategic Communications at Yale School of Medicine said, "This has been a very rewarding experience, both for the communications group and the researchers we have profiled. It's fascinating to talk to young scientists who are on the front lines of discovery, to realize how diverse they are in their interests and backgrounds, and how much they care about creating new knowledge."

The resources of the Yale University research facilities are funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with $161 worth of funding in 2014 from the NIH alone. Aside from the prestigious reputation of Yale University, the researchers themselves are also highly impressive. Though we have the university to thank for more recent discoveries, this institution has also brought us the first success with antibiotics in the United States and the first use of chemotherapy to treat cancer.

Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, has repeatedly stated that America needs visible role models in medical research. He realizes the importance of injecting personalities into the white lab coats we often associate with research. In order to help the field appeal to more of our best and brightest young people - especially women and minorities - the NIH has encouraged America's labs to open their doors to LabTV. Both professional and student filmmakers can create videos that will celebrate young scientists and excite today's students.

"Medical research is the greatest science adventure of our time, but almost nobody knows about it," said LabTV Executive Producer David Hoffman. "On LabTV our short videos are about people, not about science. The medical scientists we profile are passionate young men and women from every background, every nation and every ethnic group. They find medical research incredibly exciting and rewarding. They are eager to encourage today's students to enter the field."

To that end, LabTV is sending amateur and professional filmmakers to 40,000 NIH-funded medical research labs across America. LabTV filmmakers are creating short video profiles of tens of thousands of young scientists.

"Our goal," said LabTV founder Jay Walker, "is to help students find role models they can identify with - young scientists who are people just like themselves, and who share their dreams and passions."

Universities that wish to have their young scientists profiled on LabTV at no cost to the university or the lab may contact LabTV's Debbie Pranckitas at (415) 813-8100 or by email at [email protected].

David Hoffman is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker of more than 150 television documentaries and multi-part series for PBS, Turner, A&E and Discovery. Mr. Hoffman has produced more than 200 television programs, five feature-length documentaries, and hundreds of Youtube "movies" that together have over 10 million views.

Jay Walker, the founder of LabTV, is also the chairman of Patent Properties and curator of TEDMED, the health and medicine edition of the famous TED conference. A noted entrepreneur, Mr. Walker has founded three companies that serve more than 50 million customers. He is best known as the creator of Priceline, which brought a new level of value to the travel industry.

LabTV, in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health, inspires STEM-oriented students, particularly women and minorities, to consider a career in medical research. LabTV does this by having filmmakers, primarily undergraduates, interview young medical scientists, and post their interviews on LabTV.com where viewing students can find and connect with successful young medical scientists just like them.

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