WDIV-TV Detroit producer, alumna champions public health communication, journalism
Sarah Mayberry, MPH ’00
Health Management and Policy
Sarah Mayberry, MPH ’00, hasn’t jumped out of the stands at a sporting event to assist an athlete in crisis with CPR. She has never diagnosed a case of cancer in the earliest stages or applied a tourniquet to a bleeding auto accident victim.
But saving lives—and changing lives—while putting people on a safer, healthier course—she is all about those things.
As the senior medical producer for WDIV-TV in Detroit, Mayberry utilizes the latest in medical research and healthcare information to educate and inform her viewers. That is her personally crafted job description.
“Finding that information and sharing it—that’s the reason to do this job,” she said. “There’s nothing better than getting that call telling you that your story made a difference in someone’s life.”
So, whether it is a feature on the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun and melanoma, or the benefits of eating a more plant-based diet, Mayberry wants to put the best information on prevention in front of the viewers.
In some cases, her presentations have saved lives.
“The life-saving ones happen,” she said. “You don’t always hear about them right away, but that has happened numerous times in my career. And that is pure gold when you find out about it.”
Finding that information and sharing it—that’s the reason to do this job. There’s nothing better than getting that call telling you that your story made a difference in someone’s life.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Michigan in 1996, she went on to complete a Master of Public Health degree in Health Management and Policy from the School of Public Health in 2000, adding an interdepartmental concentration in Genetics. Her route to a prominent place at WDIV was a somewhat circuitous one. Initially, she expected to be focused on the health of fish, not her fellow humans.
“I majored in biology and my research was actually through the School of Natural Resources, and at the time I was very interested in fish and that sort of thing,” Mayberry said. “I’m not even quite sure how I came to Michigan Public Health, since it wasn’t like that was my goal.”
Following the completion of her undergraduate studies, the Dearborn native was considering graduate work in genetics or genetic counseling.
“But that wasn't a great fit, and then someone suggested public health to me, and mentioned that the University of Michigan had a wonderful public health school,” Mayberry said. “I wanted to go somewhere else to experience a new place, but Michigan’s School of Public Health was ranked No. 1 in the field I was planning to study, so it seemed like a bad idea to go someplace else.”
Between the first and second years of her graduate program, Mayberry did an internship at the Detroit NBC affiliate, while fully aware that she was possibly wandering a bit outside the conventional internship roles, but also giving the television station a unique perspective on their news desk.
“It was interesting because they had never had anyone who had a science background working with their health program, so they were kind of fascinated by the idea,” she said.
And was it an extensive news background or comfort in front of the cameras that made Mayberry a great hire?
“I had zero news experience, so they took a chance on me,” she said.
The television station ended up with a valued member of their staff for 25 years and counting.
“They were wonderful about teaching me how to write news, and I helped them make their health reporting more accurate, more understandable and more impactful. So, it was really a wonderful partnership that we decided to continue after I graduated.”
Mayberry soon learned that her background in biology and public health, and her growing communications skill set, put her on a unique career trajectory. It is one that provides her with the platform to reach an extensive segment of the population.
“I see my primary responsibility as communicating health and science information in a way the public can understand,” she said. “I think clear communication is essential for all of us.”
She would like to see the greater healthcare community do a much better job of bringing information to the public with clarity and accuracy, packaged in an understandable vernacular.
“Today, there are so many places people can get inaccurate information, and even when they find good information it is often not written in a way they can understand it,” Mayberry said. “There is often a disconnect, so all of this great research and knowledge does not get to the people it could help the most. Too many health professionals don’t see the importance of communicating and making the information understandable.”
She sees that aspect of public health as essential to the success of the overall mission to educate and assist the population on the path to well-being.
“Right from the start, I really enjoyed the communication side of public health, and it's interesting that I didn't recognize the importance of that sooner,” she said. “I really did enjoy looking at how what we were discussing and learning about could be applied to the public.”
Mayberry credits Stephen Modell, research and dissemination director in genomics in the Department of Epidemiology, and the late Toby Citrin as two University of Michigan professors who played key roles in helping her sculpt the pathway of her education—one that led to her career bringing vital healthcare information to the populace.
I love that we can bring attention to diseases or conditions that don't get enough attention, or that we can teach people how to do CPR or use a defibrillator or apply a tourniquet without ever leaving their house. I love it when someone recognizes their symptoms in a story we did and gets the diagnosis they’ve been searching for. In public health, getting people that information is the job of all of us.”
“They were very instrumental during my time at Michigan,” Mayberry said. “They were on the cutting edge of media science communication and of applied genetics, and so I think that they were both very inspirational to me.
“I’ve had a wonderful experience here at WDIV and I think it was definitely the right career choice in the end. When I started at the School of Public Health, I didn't know exactly where I wanted it to take me, but as soon as I got a taste of health journalism, I was hooked. I just love it when a story we did makes a real difference in someone's life.”
The powerful stories she has put together form a very lengthy list, but one certain standout is the ongoing look at a young man she first highlighted more than 20 years ago when he was a 4-year-old undergoing his fifth heart surgery. Now in college and the recipient of a heart transplant, he gave Mayberry the opportunity to follow his life and advocacy for organ donation.
“I love that we can bring attention to diseases or conditions that don't get enough attention, or that we can teach people how to do CPR or use a defibrillator or apply a tourniquet without ever leaving their house,” she said.
“I love it when someone recognizes their symptoms in a story we did and gets the diagnosis they’ve been searching for. In public health, getting people that information is the job of all of us.”
Written by Matt Markey