SCM Students Launch Important Transmedia Project for the John Theurer Cancer Center

The School of Communication and Media is changing the lives of cancer patients, one click at a time. Students in p[rofessor Beverly Peterson’s transmedia class are working directly with national healthcare leader, Hackensack University Medical Center, to use transmedia to create more effective storytelling for the medical facility’s John Theurer Cancer Center.

After conducting surveys with patients and families about its existing website, the center found its website was too complicated for patients to navigate, especially those newly diagnosed with cancer, who are emotionally overwhelmed and confused. The center approached the school’s transmedia classes with this information, who proposed a transmedia project which will focus initially on the center’s Bone Marrow Transplant division and chronicle a patient’s journey from diagnosis to recovery.

Students will use a story mapping software from Knightlab.com, which will allow patients to access information and support services by taking a much more navigable journey through the cancer center’s website. The journey begins with diagnosis, consults with oncologists, through treatment options, which include initial chemotherapy to kill the white blood cells to prepare the patient for stem cell harvesting, through reinsertion of the stem cells into the bone marrow.  Then, the project will chronicle patients who are put into the hospital’s housing units to make sure there is no rejection.  The patient and his or her family can also access a Frequently Asked Questions. (If you’re a “Game of Thrones” fan, check out the story map for Arya’s journey from “Game of Thrones” to get a better sense of the Transmedia class’s approach.)

Lyndsey Foster, one of the students in the cancer center group states, “A friend of mine is a cancer survivor, so when I was assigned the task of researching survivors for my project, I was able to get input from someone who has gone through the process. He explained exactly what types of media resources he would have liked during his time at the John Theurer Cancer Center. This project has encouraged me to make a direct impact on those, like my friend, who struggle with cancer.”  Luiver Manongdo adds, “Researching the stories of various people who go through all these treatments and process have left a lasting impact on my thoughts.”

Members of the cancer center’s marketing team visited the school last month to give their official approval for the project. Bone marrow transplants aim to try to cure some types of cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The bone marrow is the spongy substance inside your bones which makes all your blood cell.  The ultimate goal of the project is to create a template that can be applied to other types of cancer journeys in the cancer center.

“Transmedia Projects unites students from every SCM major—public relations, television, digital media, film, journalism—to approach professional storytelling from a collaborative, mediated standpoint,” said Peterson. “In working with a real establishment for a real cause, students are exposed to a level of professionalism typically reserved for post-graduate endeavors.  And, it instills in them a sense of personal responsibility that makes them better citizens.”

The School of Communication and Media’s relationship with the center goes back to 2010 when students began doing fundraisers for the center’s Ovarian Cancer Center. Olympic champion Shannon Miller hosted one year, and comic Sunda Croonquist has also performed at the school’s fundraisers for the hospital.

“What makes this important here is the impact our students will have on the lives of cancer patients,” says Peterson. “This form of story mapping for a huge cancer center (among top 50 in the nation) has never been done before.”