BusinessWeek and Medical Design Win PRSA 2005 Excellence in Technology Journalism Awards.

NEW YORK -- Tim Mullaney, e-business editor, and Arlene Weintraub, science editor, respectively, of BusinessWeek magazine, and Victoria Reitz, senior editor of Medical Design magazine, have won the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) 2005 Awards for Excellence in Technology Journalism.

The awards were presented on June 27, 2006 at a special ceremony in New York during the 2006 PRSA Technology Section Conference. This marks the ninth year the Technology Journalism Awards have been presented in conjunction with the national technology conference. The awards competition was judged by an independent panel of 35 peer editors, writers and reporters from the national general, business and trade press.

Mullaney's and Weintraub's co-authored winning article, in the general and business category, "The Digital Hospital," appeared in the March 28, 2005 issue as the cover story of BusinessWeek magazine, published by McGraw-Hill, Inc. The article, triggered by Mullaney's fight for life following the onset of his stomach cancer, potential medical errors and his chemotherapy treatments, covered the nascent e-health movement.

The landmark article preceded a raft of legislative proposals, broke news and raised the profile of a movement that can save hundreds of billions of dollars and slash America's death toll from medical errors. Every American's health will be affected by the changes Mullaney and Weintraub explained, influenced and accelerated in stories deeply infused with human characters and life-or-death personal stakes. The authors set out to chronicle a new world in medicine, and to help consumers navigate it, beginning when Mullaney was still in chemotherapy.

Reitz won in the technical/trade category. Her winning article appeared in the Sept. 2005 issue of Medical Design, published by Penton Media, Inc. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the numerous R&D efforts and hardware developments in Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), in which low-level electrical currents are applied to specific nerves to restore or improve bodily function.

While describing such device hardware and applications ranging from the proven heart pacemaker to such early-stage bionic systems for "treatment-resistant" depression, chronic pain from spinal card injuries, epilepsy-related seizures, urinary and bladder problems and visual prostheses for patients with retinitis pigmentosa, the article challenges industry researchers to complete the job of pursuing solutions and assistive remedies.

"This year's winner emerged from a tough competitive field of 88 entries for work published in 2005," said Joel A. Strasser, APR, Fellow PRSA, chair, PRSA's Technology 2006 Honors and Awards Committee. "Each of the two winning entries are exceptionally strong works that underscore great reportage and writing style. They follow a tradition of our other award winners on the basis of their value to readers, clarity of communications and significance in terms of technical innovation and newsworthiness." He was assisted in the presentations by Henry Feintuch, managing partner of KCSA Public Relations Worldwide, and chair-elect of PRSA's Technology Section.

Each winning entry received a $1,000 prize and a commemorative crystal trophy.

The awards were judged by a distinguished panel of 35 peer judges, all members of the national editorial community representing the types of journalism practiced by each of the winners. Judges for this year's competition were: Jeffrey Allen, editor, GP Solo Magazine; Jack Bick, president and founder, Inside Collin County Business; Tom Biederbeck, editor, Dynamic Graphics Magazine; Lindsay Brooke, senior editor, Automotive Engineering International, SAE International; Barbara Brynko, editor-in-chief, Information Today; Jane Byrne, staff writer, PE Magazine, National Society of Professional Engineers; Linda Casey, editor, Instant & Small Commercial Printer Magazine; Janice Chen, editor-in-chief, Computer Shopper and CNET Digital Living Magazines; Jim Crockett, editor-in-chief, Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine; Mila D'Antonio, managing editor, 1to1 Magazine; Matthew Dirjish, associate editor, EE Product News; David B. Doering, network editor, EMedia Magazine; Olaf de Senerpont Domis, West Coast bureau chief, The Deal; Andru Edwards, CEO, editor-in-chief, Gear Live Media; Caron Schwartz Ellis, news editor, Boulder County Business Report; Mark Els, senior editor, Network World Canada, IT World Canada; Charles W. Evans, reviews editor, HAL-PC Magazine; Sara Ferris, editor-in-chief, Cadalyst; Tracy Ford, editor/associate publisher, RCR Wireless News; Mark Halvorsen, staff editor, Truckin' Magazine; Kevin Jost, editorial director, magazines, SAE International; Phillip Keys, U.S. correspondent, Nikkei Electronics/Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.; Anthony Lasanno, senior associate editor, Latptop Magazine; Michael McCormick, executive editor, The Shawnee-News Star; Morgan Paar, technical editor, Videomaker; Matthew Phair, editor, Constructioneer; Naomi Eigner Price, assistant managing editor, Test & Measurement World; Scott L. Ridenow, director, segment producer, technology segments, KCBS TV/KCAL TV; Judith Rogow, managing editor, ResourceINK; David Sheets, personal technology editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Murray Slovick, editorial director, electronics group, Hearst Business Media; Robert Summa, tech editor, Metro U.S.; Michelle Thatcher, associate editor, CNET Reviews; Becky Waring, freelancer; and Erin Whitehead, associate editor, Rental Equipment Register.

The PRSA Technology Section Conference was sponsored by Business Wire and the 2005 Excellence in Technology Journalism Awards were sponsored by PR Newswire.

About the PRSA Technology Section

The PRSA Technology Section (www.prsa.org/sections/tech) is an organization of communications professionals who develop, implement and counsel regarding public relations or marketing communications programs and activities for technology companies, and practitioners who work at technology organizations or who use emerging technologies to conduct their routine business.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org), based in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The Society has more than 29,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 112 Chapters nationwide, 19 Professional Interest Sections, along with Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 272 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States.