MEDIA TRACK | Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine
Purpose & Goals
The Media Track prepares psychiatry residents and fellows (General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry) to communicate accurate, compassionate, and timely mental health information to the public through broadcast, digital, and print media.
The program develops core skills in public-facing psychiatric education, crisis communication, and institutional representation while reinforcing professionalism, ethics, and patient privacy.
Eligibility & Selection
- Open to PGY-2 to PGY-6 psychiatry residents and CAP/Forensic fellows in good standing
- Competitive application reviewed by the Media Track Supervisory Committee (consisting of the Department Chair, Vice Chair, General Psychiatry Program Director, General Psychiatry Associate Program Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship program director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship associate program director and Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship program director, and LSUHS Communications leadership)
- Application materials: brief statement of interest (one page maximum), CV, supervisor endorsement
- Cohort model (max 4 trainees per year) to ensure individualized coaching and sufficient media opportunities
Training Structure
12-Month Curriculum (July-June)
- Longitudinal experience over 12 months. Trainees can continue in the media track on a year-to-year basis upon mutual agreement between the trainee and the Media Track Supervisory Committee
- Monthly skills workshop + quarterly simulation “media lab” in the in-house studio
- Supervision and coaching from:
- Faculty psychiatrists with media experience (CAP, Forensic, General)
- Institutional creative/communications team (writers, web, social, brand)
- Professional media expert(s), including a former local broadcast journalist
- Clear “scope of practice” guidance: education and commentary, not patient-specific advice or treatment
- Honor cohort with certificates at graduation
Core Curriculum (skills and content)
- Message development: audience targeting, framing, clarity, and avoiding jargon
- Interview skills: bridging, flagging, soundbites, handling hostile or leading questions
- On-camera presence: voice, pacing, body language, wardrobe, and studio etiquette
- Writing skills: editorial articles, features, emails, web writing, Search Engine Optimization, style, length, accuracy, AI
- Brand standards: Design, language, coordination with institutional leadership
- Ethics and risk: HIPAA, confidentiality, boundaries, conflicts of interest, and documentation, i.e. APA and AACAP ethics training courses and journalism mental health in media resources
- Crisis communications: rapid response workflows and coordination with institutional leadership
- Social and digital media: short-form scripts, platform norms, and reputational risk management
- Equity-focused communication: culturally responsive messaging and stigma reduction
- Forensic-specific considerations: legal sensitivity, ongoing cases, violence-risk messaging, and public safety topics
Experiential Components (practical exercises)
Trainees complete supervised, progressive experiences that may include:
- In-house studio segments on seasonal and high-need topics (e.g., depression, seasonal affective disorder, anxiety, autism, suicide prevention, overdose prevention, substance use, sleep)
- Radio appearances (e.g., Red River Radio) and local podcast interviews (e.g. Asking Why with Clint Davis)
- Rapid-response opportunities when requested by media partners (e.g., community trauma, school shootings, disasters, public health crises)
- Live local television news interviews, after simulation readiness is demonstrated
- Content creation with the creative team: short scripts, web copy, and social posts aligned with departmental messaging
- Building of a website on LSUHS.edu
- Highlighting the Media Track
- Serving as a repository for appearances by Track trainees
- Becoming a psychiatry education hub for the general public over time
Supervision, Approvals, & Safeguards
- All external-facing appearances coordinated through the LSU Health Shreveport Department of Communications and Public Affairs
- Pre-brief and post-brief for each appearance (talking points, risk review, performance feedback)
- Use of approved disclaimers and institutional identifiers; no patient discussion; no clinical advice
- Explicit escalation pathway for sensitive topics (e.g., active investigations, mass casualty events)
Evaluation & Completion Requirements
Minimum participation expectations (tailored by level), such as:
- 2–3 simulated studio interviews per 12 months
- 4 community media appearances (radio/podcast/TV) per 12 months as opportunities allow
- 1 written or recorded educational piece developed with communications staff per 12 months
- Milestones assessed via structured rubric (clarity, accuracy, professionalism, risk management, and audience engagement)
- Capstone: a recorded “signature segment” or interview demonstrating readiness for independent supervised media engagement
Outcomes & Departmental Value
Graduates will represent the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and LSU Health Shreveport with credibility and consistency, improve community mental health literacy, strengthen relationships with local media partners, and support rapid, evidence-informed communication during high-impact events. They will achieve this while modeling ethical, stigma-reducing public psychiatry.
