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HEALTH: EDUCATION AND INFORMATION:
NIH and Wikimedia Foundation Collaborate
to Improve Online Health Information


Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:28:29 -0400
From: "NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)" <olib@...>
To: NIHPRESS@...
Subject: NIH and Wikimedia Foundation Collaborate
to Improve Online Health Information



U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News



NIH Office of the Director (OD)
<http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/>



For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 14, 2009



CONTACTS:

Bonnie Flock

NIH

301-496-5787

e-mail:

flockb@...



Jay Walsh

Wikimedia Foundation

415-839-6885 x609

e-mail:

jwalsh@...



NIH AND WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION COLLABORATE
TO IMPROVE ONLINE HEALTH INFORMATION




The National Institutes of Health and the Wikimedia Foundation, the
nonprofit organization that operates the Wikipedia(r) online encyclopedia,
are joining forces to make health and science information more accessible
and reliable. This collaboration is the first of its kind for both
organizations.


"NIH works to ensure that the information it provides on science and
health is of the highest quality and reaches the widest audience," said
John Burklow, NIH associate director for communications and public
liaison. "We look forward to this opportunity to collaborate with the
Wikimedia Foundation and participate in a resource that is used by
millions of people around the world."


On July 16, NIH will host Wikimedia staff and volunteers working in the
sciences for an all-day event on its Bethesda campus. Participants will
learn about the philosophy and mechanics of Wikipedia and will begin what
is hoped to be a long-term dialogue aimed at improving public knowledge
about health, science, and medicine. The international foundation has
never before worked with a federal agency or a health sciences
institution.


"Wikipedia Academies are public outreach events, usually lasting one or
two days, aimed at engaging academics and other subject-matter experts who
are not familiar with wiki culture or online communities," said Frank
Schulenburg, head of public outreach for the Wikimedia Foundation. "In
presentations and workshops, experienced Wikipedia authors teach the
participants how to contribute to Wikipedia and orient the audience to
Wikipedia's structures and community policies."


"We're incredibly excited about our first official Wikipedia Academy in
the United States," said Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia
Foundation. "With the broad range of experts from the National Institutes
of Health, we see a great opportunity for increasing the quality of all
health-related information on Wikipedia, benefitting users of Wikipedia
from all over the world." Wikipedia contains nearly 13.5 million articles
written in over 250 languages. In May, it served over 315 million unique
visitors. The site manages, on average, more than 14 million page views
per hour.


To satisfy the public's growing need for reliable health information, NIH
and the Wikimedia Foundation want to increase the availability of accurate
medical and health information available to the public. At the same time,
they hope to establish strategies to interlace the distinct cultures of
Wikipedia and the research community.


After the Wikipedia Academy, NIH subject matter experts will be able to
contribute to Wikipedia and also help develop best practices for future
sessions. Instructions about how to contribute, including video of the
Wikipedia Academy at NIH, will be available on the NIH and the Wikipedia
websites for scientists across the country.


Wikipedia is an international online encyclopedia written collaboratively
by volunteers. For more information about Wikipedia, visit



<http://www.wikipedia.org>



The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational
medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures
for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit


<http://www.nih.gov>



##



This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jul2009/od-14.htm>.




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Bushell, R. & Sheldon, P. (eds),
Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit,
Place, New York: Cognizant Communication Books.
Wellness Tourism: Bibliographic and Webliographic Essay
David P. Dillard
<http://tinyurl.com/p63whl>
<http://tinyurl.com/ou53aw>




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