Esta de Fossard Wins 2011 Everett M. Rogers Award for Achievement in Entertainment Education

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Esta de Fossard, faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Advanced Communication in Washington, DC is the 2011 recipient of the annual Everett M. Rogers Award for Achievement in Entertainment Education.

Presented by the Norman Lear Center, the award honors the late Everett M. Rogers, a former associate dean and the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. It recognizes exceptional creativity in the practice of entertainment education and excellence in research on the use of entertainment to deliver messages aimed at improving the quality of life of audiences around the world.

Building on her lifetime personal experience in radio, TV, theatre and teaching, Esta de Fossard has made significant contributions - often in unique ways - to the development, practice and teaching of entertainment education for nearly 40 years. Her reach has extended to more than two dozen countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, as well as the U.S. She has contributed a trilogy of groundbreaking textbooks and other practical teaching and guidance materials, previously lacking, while also teaching and mentoring upcoming practitioners, educators and scholars in the field.

"Esta de Fossard's practical, on-the-ground, innovative contributions to the development and use of entertainment education in the U.S. and other countries all over the globe are truly remarkable," said Benjamin Lozare, the associate director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. "Her talent, tireless dedication, wisdom and accumulated experience are of lasting significance in our field."

Recipients of the Rogers Award are selected by a jury of prominent scholars in the field of health communication. Peter Clarke, former USC Annenberg dean who now holds a joint faculty appointment at USC Annenberg and the Keck School of Medicine at USC, chaired the selection committee.

On September 27, de Fossard will describe her pioneering work at a noon lunch colloquium co-sponsored by the USC Annenberg School of Journalism Director's Forum. That evening, she will be recognized as the seventh recipient of the Rogers award at the Writers Guild of America, West in Los Angeles. Seating at the colloquium is limited; visit http://j.mp/nt5Rsd to reserve.

The award will be presented during the twelfth annual Sentinel for Health Awards ceremony, which recognizes exemplary achievements in television storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives. The Sentinel for Health Awards are hosted by Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg School's Norman Lear Center. HH&S is a one-stop-shop for television writers, producers and others in search of credible information on a wide range of public health and climate change topics, including free consultations and briefings with experts. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The California Endowment, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Barr Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, Health Resources and Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Hollywood, Health & Society program is based at the USC Annenberg School's Norman Lear Center. For more information, visit usc.edu/hhs.

The Norman Lear Center is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center studying and shaping the impact of entertainment and media on society. From its base in the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the Lear Center builds bridges between faculty who study aspects of entertainment, media and culture. Beyond campus, it bridges the gap between entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. For more information, visit learcenter.org.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism is a national leader in education and scholarship in the fields of communication, journalism, public diplomacy and public relations. With an enrollment of more than 2,200 students, USC Annenberg offers doctoral, graduate and undergraduate degree programs, as well as continuing development programs for working professionals across a broad scope of academic inquiry. The school's comprehensive curriculum emphasizes the core skills of leadership, innovation, service and entrepreneurship and draws upon the resources of a networked university located in the media capital of the world.

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SOURCE University of Southern California