University of Kansas Cancer Center shares messages on recurring Facebook Live series

Bench to Bedside is a weekly Facebook Live series hosted by The University of Kansas Cancer Center. The series helps bring KU Cancer Center to the forefront of to the minds of patients and potential patients deciding where to receive cancer care. The series has won the top prize in the “Social Media Campaign” category, Health Care PR and Marketing division, in the PR Daily Awards.

Now in its fourth season, the series follows news and developments related to cancer research, prevention and treatment. KU Cancer Center director Roy Jensen hosts the show and interviews cancer health and research professionals from KU Cancer Center, the University of Kansas Health System and the University of Kansas Medical Center, as well as patients and professionals from other organizations.

The series targets 105 counties in Kansas and 18 in western Missouri, disseminating clinical and research findings along with educational information. Facebook followers can ask questions, post comments and get answers in real time; followers are notified when the show is about to go live.

The series is produced exclusively with in-house resources. Topics are selected based on a variety of inputs, such as topics addressed in social media and external cancer news. A speaker is identified once a topic is selected.

After the show airs, it is reshared to capture viewers unable to tune in live; weekly reminders are emailed to some 700 recipients. Episodes are occasionally boosted with an ad spend. Sixty episodes have aired so far, reaching nearly a quarter million people who watched nearly 100,000 minutes.

Congratulations to Roy Jensen, Christine Wilson, Jill Chadwick, Marcia Francis, Logan Blankenship, Cliff Erwin, Pauline Horton, Leslie McGuire, Pam Crawford, Cameron Poindexter and Megan Peters.