"Madam Secretary", "Vice", "Jane the Virgin" and "East Los High" Among the 2015 Sentinel Award Winners

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the 16th annual Sentinel Awards were announced in a ceremony in Hollywood that recognized exemplary achievements in television storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives.

The awards are presented in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of The Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The event was held at the Taglyan Complex on Sept. 24.

The CBS hit series "Madam Secretary" received first place in the Drama category for its story about U.S. Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, played by Tea Leoni, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after barely surviving a bloody attack in Iran. Co-executive producer and writer Matt Ward accepted the award for the moving storyline.

"Any award that has the words Norman Lear and your name on it is pretty exciting," Ward said. "We tried really hard to get it right, and I'm honored that [HH&S] felt that we did, especially because so many people in uniform have come home with PTSD."

Hulu's original online series "East Los High" won first place for Serial Drama with a powerful story about domestic violence. Actors Rene Alvarado and Gabriel Chavarria, who play Pedro and Jacob on the show, presented the award to executive producers Katie Elmore Mota and Mauricio Mota.

Onstage, Alvarado noted what it's like to play such an abusive character as Pedro, and the fact that he doesn't exactly get a warm reaction from the show's fans when he's recognized on the street. Still, to help bring attention to the problem of domestic violence, Alvarado said: "If playing a bad guy is going to raise awareness and maybe save a young girl's life, sign me up. I'll do it all day, every day."

The CW's "Jane the Virgin" took top honors in the Comedy category for an episode that looks at a medical issue during pregnancy that could lead to fetal abnormalities. Actor Justin Baldoni, who portrays Rafael, the biological father to Jane's baby, was there to accept the award. The first place award in the Climate Change category went to "Vice" on HBO, which took top honors for an episode titled "Our Rising Oceans" that explored the impact of sea level rise on the world's more vulnerable populations. Jake Burghart, the director of photography, accepted the award.

Kent Redeker, co-executive producer of Disney Junior's "Doc McStuffins," accepted the first place award in Children's Programming for a storyline titled "Oooey Gablooey Springs a Leak" that teaches kids how to stay calm when they have a minor cut or scrape that bleeds. The Spanish Language award went to CNN en Espanol's "Vive la Salud con la Dra. Azaret" featuring a segment on autism. Marisa Azaret, a clinical psychologist who's the anchor and writer, accepted the award. The National Geographic Channel's "Sleepless in America" took first place in the Documentary category for its exploration of the health effects caused by not getting enough proper sleep.

The evening's opening remarks were delivered by HH&S advisory board co-chairs Dr. Zoanne Clack, executive producer for the hit ABC series "Grey's Anatomy," and Howard Rodman, who was just elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West.

A full list of the winners and finalists follows:

Drama

[ FIRST PLACE ]
Madam Secretary—Face the Nation (CBS)
Topic: PTSD

[ 2nd PLACE ]
The Good Wife—Red Zone (CBS)
Topic: Campus sexual assault

[ 3rd PLACE ]
Switched at Birth—At the First Clear Word; Black and Gray (ABC Family)
Topic: Campus sexual assault

Serial Drama

[ FIRST PLACE ]
East Los High—Beauty Queens Don't Wear Trash (Hulu)
Topic: Domestic violence

Comedy

[ FIRST PLACE ]
Jane the Virgin—Chapter Thirteen (The CW)
Topic: Fetal abnormalities

Documentary

[ FIRST PLACE ]
Sleepless in America (National Geographic Channel)
Topic: Sleep-loss epidemic

[ 2nd PLACE ]
Frontline—Being Mortal (PBS)
Topic: Death and dying

Climate Change

[ FIRST PLACE ]
Vice—Our Rising Oceans (HBO)
Topic: Climate change

[ 2nd PLACE ]
The Simpsons—Opposites A-Frack (FOX)
Topic: Climate Change

[ 3rd PLACE ]
Mass Extinction: Life at the Brink (Smithsonian Channel)
Topic: Climate change

Children's Programming

[ FIRST PLACE ]
Doc McStuffins—Oooey Gablooey Springs a Leak (Disney Junior)
Topic: Wounds

Spanish Language

[ FIRST PLACE ]
Vive la Salud con la Dra. Azaret (CNN en Espanol)
Topic: Autism

Hollywood, Health & Society provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate and timely information for storylines dealing with health and climate change through consultations and briefings with experts. Based at the Lear Center, HH&S is a one-stop shop for writers, producers and others in search of credible information on public health and climate change topics. Since its inception, HH&S has been funded by the CDC, and other funders have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The California Endowment and The SCAN Foundation, among others. For more information about resources for writers, go to www.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 Annenberg School for Communication and 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 www.learcenter.org.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. USC Annenberg offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations. For more information, visit www.annenberg.usc.edu.

SOURCE Hollywood, Health & Society/USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center

Related Links

http://www.usc.edu/hhs