Medicine and the media
Dr Anthony Grabs
1985 alumnus Dr Anthony Grabs was mistaken thinking life as a consultant surgeon would be seeing patients and operating all day. He soon came to realise that working in a public hospital has many other demands. And, in his case, this also extends to dealing with the media.
As the Director of Trauma at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Dr Grabs is the go-to person whenever there’s media interest in a particular medical emergency at the hospital.
“This might involve answering questions from a reporter, taking part in a radio interview, conducting a press conference with the media pack, or participating in a TV feature story with a program like 60 Minutes,” explains the aptly-named Dr Grabs.
“A good clean haircut, some theatre blues and a stethoscope are all you need in most cases.”
Dr Grabs was thrust into the spotlight when multiple shark attacks brought panic to Sydney’s shores in February 2009. A diver lost a hand and leg after being mauled by a bull shark in the harbour. In the coming days, a surfer was attacked by a great white at Bondi beach.
“Interviews about Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes and one punch victim Thomas Kelly were extremely difficult for me. Just like in court, it was important to stick to the facts and not answer questions outside your speciality.”
Phillip Hughes was fatally struck by a bouncer while batting in a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“The day Phillip Hughes was brought in there was chaos around the entrance of the hospital,” Dr Grabs recalls. “But everyone was kept at bay as the family's privacy and protection was our priority. It was a story of significant interest for the media, but they showed good restraint given the sensitivity of the situation.”
Dr Grabs says the key to successful media liaison is to understand what the media needs, their tight timetables and to have a few clear messages to deliver.
“Just as you need to prepare for a lecture, you need to practise your responses to questions that may be asked. I’ve developed media skills on the run, which I wouldn’t recommend. Many organisations – such as UQ, the colleges and the AMA – can help doctors with media skills to represent their hospitals and institutions.”
Dr Grabs has come to see how the media can play an important role for his hospital in delivering key messages to the community promoting health and preventing injury.
“Prevention of injury has always been a focus of the hospital. The introduction of lock-out laws, although controversial, has had an impact on trauma within the Sydney CBD. Every time the alcohol lobby talks about consideration for relaxation of the laws, my colleagues and I hit the media.”
Read some of Dr Grabs’ media grabs:
· Victim of 'killer punch' was within minutes of losing his life
· Shark victims support each other through ordeal
· Phillip Hughes: Doctors reveal condition 'incredibly rare' with only one other case resulting from cricket ball ever reported
This story is featured in the Summer 2017 edition of UQMedicine Magazine. View the latest edition here. Or to listen, watch, or read more stories from UQ’s Faculty of Medicine visit our content hub, MayneStream.