When most people sit down to relax and watch their favorite television show after a long day’s work they are not thinking about neglected tropical diseases, maternal and child health or HIV/AIDS. However, that is all changing thanks to new champions in global health like Emmy award-winning actress Mariska Hargitay and Executive Producer Dr. Neal Baer; both from the hit television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Through collaboration with Hollywood, Health & Society, a program of the University of Southern California Norman Lear Center in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, popular television shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit are raising awareness for these issues by bringing them into the living rooms of people around the world each night.
At an event on Capitol Hill last night co-hosted by Hollywood, Health & Society, Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, panelists Mariska Hargitay, Dr. Neal Baer, Sally Canfield, Senior Program Officer for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Sandra de Castro Buffington, Director of Hollywood, Health & Society had an exciting discussion on the impact of the entertainment industry’s portrayal of global health issues and the importance of global health advocacy.
Hollywood, Health & Society serves as a bridge between the creative community and the public health field by providing expert health information to the entertainment industry. Through collaboration with Hollywood, Health & Society, over 100 television series including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, are informing audiences around the world on important global health issues. Sandra de Castro Buffington highlights television audiences as a global health constituency by noting that more than two-thirds of viewers report learning something from a television show and one-third actually take action.
Mariska Hargitay added “by raising awareness, we are bringing hope back.”
By raising awareness about pressing global health issues and shedding light on the plight of the more than one billion people who suffer from neglected tropical diseases, Hollywood really does have the ability to bring hope back.
So next time you are watching tv, don’t be surprised if you learn a little bit about schistosomiasis or onchocerciasis at the same time!
