Faculty Resources

For Faculty Members: Working with the Office of Communications

Please work closely with our office to inform us about your research — particularly when you are publishing work in a journal or presenting findings at a national or international conference. The Office of Communications may use these opportunities to more widely communicate your work in the media.

The benefits of communicating your research are many:

• It enhances your reputation
• It builds recognition and prestige for your department, the Medical Center and Georgetown University as a whole. 
• Recognition for high-quality research facilitates recruiting and hiring, attracts high-caliber students, and commands the attention of potential donors, grant-makers, policy-makers and leaders inside and outside the Washington area.

We want as many people as possible to know about the expertise you bring to Georgetown. The Office of Communications’ professional staff is ready to assist and advise all members of the Medical Center community.

Let Us Know About Publications and Presentations

It is very important that we know as early as possible when you are publishing your research or presenting at a scientific meeting. We abide by all embargo policies, so you can feel free to tell us as soon as an article has been accepted for publication. This gives us ample opportunity to discuss your research with you and to gauge possible media interest.

As a general rule, reporters will cover research only when it is new. For planning purposes, they need to learn about your research several days before it is to be published. Any reporter our office works with will respect the embargo.

Even if our office does not write a press release, when your article is published or you make your presentation, we will publicize this internally so that your colleagues around the university and medical center can learn about your work.

Media Training Available

Please contact us if you would like assistance in handling media calls or preparing for media interviews. This is very helpful to many faculty members who have not participated in television interviews and are not accustomed to explaining their research in lay language.