Analyzing and Inspiring Stories About the
​Future of Medicine in Popular Media

Popular media reflects and shapes how we understand health, science, and medicine. Given contemporary information overload and lessening public trust in science and medicine, it’s incumbent on us to understand how these topic areas are being portrayed. In 2023, In partnership with the USC Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, we conducted a multi-method research study to better understand how medical research and cutting-edge medical technologies are represented in popular TV and film.

Report forthcoming in January 2025.
The Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project researches how entertainment and news influence our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and actions. We work with researchers, the film and TV industry, nonprofits, and news organizations, and share our research with the public. We are part of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.