How Cleveland Clinic managed communications and media relations for the nation's first near-total face transplant

Abstract

On December 8th, 2008, Cleveland Clinic performed the first near-total face transplant in the USA on a patient who was severely disfigured from a gunshot wound to her face. At the time, it was the most complex face transplant in the world. Cleveland Clinic's Corporate Communications Office and a multidisciplinary medical team worked side-by-side to announce this milestone for the organization. Together, the team managed all communication, including the announcement of the first Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved protocol, two extensive media events, complex and ongoing messaging related to the transplants in France and China, and thousands of media requests over a five-year period, from all over the world. The media attention and coverage continues more than a year after the transplant occurred.

Keywords:

• CLEVELAND CLINIC
• COMMUNICATION
• PLANS
• MEDIA
• MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM
• PROTECT