A new website for The President’s Food Safety Working Group will serve as a hub for citizens and stakeholders to stay informed and provide input on national food safety.

On March 14, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the creation of the Food Safety Working Group, chaired by the Secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

As the President said in his address, the working group “will bring together cabinet secretaries and senior officials to advise me on how we can upgrade our food safety laws for the 21st century; foster coordination throughout government; and ensure that we are not just designing laws that will keep the American people safe, but enforcing them.”

This site allow participants to learn about agencies playing a role in food safety, participate in the conversation (i.e. Twitter hashtag #WHsafefood), and find additional resources and activities.

Academic Network Leads Social Media Panel Today at SOCAP International Symposium: Social Media is Here to Stay so Companies Need to Prepare to Engage Consumers Online

April 21, 2009 (Chicago) —What if the US peanut industry - and the hordes of products and companies impacted by the recent recall — had used the power of the social media to both monitor online activity and engage consumers in discussions and build relationships? Academic Network, a Stericycle company, today led food, beverage and pharmaceutical companies in a panel discussion at SOCAP International Symposium about preparing companies and employees to engage in social media, a phenomenon that’s here to stay according to panelists.

As consumers flood online to research recent food industry recall issues, conversations are springing up all over the web. Consumers are sharing information - ideas, stories, and experiences - about food and drug recalls, diet, and healthy lifestyles. Forward-thinking companies are beginning to look not only at how their brands are reflected, but how their products are being talked about within online communities.

“Companies need to build online relationships with consumers and customers long before a recall or crisis hits,” says Janet Lee Johnson, senior online strategist, Academic Network, a Stericycle company and SOCAP panelist. “There will be more recalls in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Companies need to anticipate by building online consumer relationships now so when the inevitable happens they can engage another channel of communications and branding — social media.”

Academic Network advises companies getting into social media for the first time to “walk don’t run” when readying for a social media initiative:

♦ Have an established social media policy for your organization - if you do nothing else

♦ Approach social media strategically - have a plan; develop with your media, marketing, pr, consumer affairs, web and online teams

♦ Be sure you have an online listening strategy and don’t be afraid of it - listen in on relevant blogs, websites, Twitter (www.twitter.com) Facebook (www.facebook.com) and more

♦ Bring bloggers and tweeters into corporate media relations outreach - more and more consumers are listening and reading online

♦ Actively engage in discussions online as part of consumer relations, communications and branding strategy

“Brands are swarming around social media, but largely without the tools they need to understand it,” said Kate McCarron, vice president, Health Care Contact Center Operations, Academic Network, a Stericycle company. “Jumping into online discussions without a plan and strategic messaging isn’t the right approach. Getting their employee bases ready for social media - from the front line to the boardroom - is the first step.”

Academic Network, a Stericycle company, and award-winning medical and health communications firm, is now offering services to help clients practice safe, protected consumer engagement in the growing world of Health 2.0 — the use of social media for collaboration between patients, caregivers, medical professionals and other stakeholders. Because the trend toward Health 2.0 is growing so rapidly, Academic Network has started utilizing social media platforms to gather consumer information on new products, recruit patients for clinical trials and help clients successfully build, monitor, manage and track their online reputation as they engage with consumers online.

Follow Academic Network via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Discover the value of our health and consumer affairs expertise during the SOCAP International Symposium, held at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, in Chicago, Illinois on April 19-22, 2009. Come visit us at booth 12 to learn about our diverse range of services. As a new division of Stericycle, our capabilities have expanded from consumer support and education to providing a full range of outsourcing services to better support a recall or retrieval for your product.

On Tuesday, April 21, from 2:30-3:45pm in room Renaissance D, we present Leveraging Social Media in Product Recalls, a panel moderated by internationally recognized speaker David McCarron, M.D. Leading executives in social media communications and consumer affairs explore the power of social media to manage your company’s image and product reputation during a recall.

Panelists include:

David McCarron, MD, FACP
VP Healthcare Communications, Academic Network, a Stericycle company
Janet Johnson
Senior Online Strategist, Academic Network, a Stericycle company
Mia Novic
Sales Director, Pharma/Healthcare, Nielsen Online
Chris Gidez
Senior Vice President, U.S. Director, Risk Management/Crisis Communications, Hill & Knowlton
Linnea Johnson
Director, Unilever Consumer Services

We are also accessible via company search at www.LinkedIn.com and www.Twitter.com/AcademicNetwork. Follow our tweets at SOCAP! We hope to see you at the meeting.

In our efforts to monitor the current pistachio recall, we have provided a link to the FDA information page.

Academic Network has been awarded the 2008 “Top Outsourcer Award” by ContactCenterWorld.com, a leading global support organization for the contact center industry. Academic Network was named top blended contact center outsourcer in the small-size category. Criteria for the award includes handling inbound and outbound calls and percentage of growth in seats and sales revenue.

Portland-based healthcare communications company credits growth to increased role in adverse event monitoring, telecommunications, and enhanced social media services to engage customers & patients online

Portland, OR (March, 2009) - DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural internet site, has named Academic Network, a Stericycle, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRCL) company and leading healthcare contact center and consulting firm, as one of the “top 10 small businesses in Oregon” (Div100).

“Entrepreneurs are a growing force in the U.S. economy, and a force to be reckoned with,” said Kenton Clarke, CEO of Computer Consulting Associates International, the company that built DiversityBusiness.com. This is a whole business segment that can carry its own, that provides jobs, products and services, and generates wealth for their communities. These are the new leaders in American business.”

“We have seen consistent growth over the last several years and we are delighted to have been recognized for our growth and ability to meet the changing needs of our clients. We believe that our health staff, ability to swiftly respond and staff our contact and call centers, our enhanced adverse events monitoring and use social media have enabled us to continue to grow our consumer affairs and patient recruitment business and support our clients outsourcing needs,” says the company’s co-founder , Kathleen A. McCarron. “Our knowledge and experience with adverse events and the use of social media integrated with traditional communication channels will continue to be a focus of our growth in 2009.”

As a newly acquired company of Stericycle, Inc., Academic Network will bring its adverse event reporting experience and social media experience to support the recall and retrieval offerings to Stericycle client’s.

Academic Network will be honored at a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s “9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference”, taking place April 29 - May 1, 2009 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World, Florida.

On April 21, Academic Network, a Stericycle Company, presents Leveraging Social Media in Product Recalls, a panel at the SOCAP International Symposium in Chicago. Top names in the corporate social media movement — Chris Gidez of Hill & Knowlton, Mia Novic of Nielsen Online, and Linnea Johnson of Unilever — join Janet Johnson and Dr. David McCarron of Academic Network for this presentation. Panelists discuss how to use online forums, including blogs, Facebook and Twitter, to gather up-to-the minute consumer information surrounding a product recall (such as the peanut butter recall) and explore innovative strategies to manage timely and effective corporate response. Academic Network is poised at the forefront of this communications revolution, and we look forward to a lively and informed discussion.

Academic Network Ranks No. 2,526 on the 2008 Inc. 5,000, No. 40 in the Portland Metro Region with Three-Year Sales Growth of 141%

PORTLAND, Ore., September 22, 2008 – Inc. has ranked Academic Network No. 2,526 on its annual ranking of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy. Academic Network placed No. 40 in growth for the Portland Metro Region.

“We’re able to hire more people and our business is growing because of our expanding partnerships and extended outsourcing consumer care solutions with industry giants like ConAgra, GlaxoSmithKline, Fleishman-Hillard, and Boston Scientific,” says Academic Network President, David McCarron, MD, FACP, who has appeared in the New York Times, CBS, PBS, NPR and CNN. “We wouldn’t have this success without Portland’s rich multilingual healthcare workforce.”

“Our second annual Inc. 5000 continues the most ambitious project in business journalism,” said Inc. 5000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. “The Inc. 5000 gives an unrivalled portrait of young, underreported companies across all industries doing fascinating things with cutting-edge business models, as well as older companies that are still showing impressive growth.”

Academic Network provides health care communication solutions via its call center and web-based services for pharmaceutical companies, food and beverage companies, and medical centers. The firm’s health education consulting team mans a live, toll-free call center for consumer queries, helps with patient recruitment, program development and the management of governmental and health professional relations. Academic Network is also in the business of developing non-branded websites for their clients seeking to provide online resource centers on specific health and medical issues.

“We regularly partner with Academic Network to develop and implement clinical trial recruitment programs for our pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Their targeted recruitment strategies, ability to ramp up call center and prescreening, processes on aggressive timeframes, and network of medical and scientific counsel are as innovative as they come,” said Mindy Warner, Senior Vice President and Partner.

Food and beverage industries, clinical research organizations, biotechnology, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries as well as public relation firms seek Academic Network’s healthcare communication expertise. The term “one stop” clearly applies to Academic Network, whose all medical staff excels at:

• Contact center solutions: call center, IVR, online, fullfillment
• Clinical trial recruitment: site support, online screening services
• Consumer affairs counsel: direct to consumer educational campaigns
• Compliance counsel: adverse events reporting and customer care
• Healthcare operators and contact center staffing: medical & nutritional expertise
• New online media communications: web design, blogging, social networking
• Medical Advisory Boards and Medical Experts

About Inc. 500|Inc. 5000 Conference Each year, Inc. magazine and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of today’s entrepreneurial superstars — the privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500|Inc. 5000 Conference brings together members of the Inc. 5000 community—both a new class of Inc. 5000 honorees and the list’s alumni—for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration.

About Academic Network Academic Network is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Academic Network works with leading pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and other Fortune 500 companies, as well as healthcare organizations, in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications, internet and new media resources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public. Visit Academic Network at www.academicnetwork.com.

Contact:

Claudia Johnson
Claudia@claudiajohnson.com
503.799.2220

International Corporate Giants Boston Scientific, ConAgra, GlaxoSmithKline And Others Depend On Portland’s Academic Network LLC And Its Medical and Nutrition ExpertsTo Develop, Test And Market Products

PORTLAND, ORE., JULY, 2008 – Spurred on by a sales growth record of nearly 300% as well as a 300% jump in its contact center outsourcing capacity, Oregon’s award-winning Academic Network has been named one of the fastest growing private companies in Portland by the Portland Business Journal. The medical and healthcare communications and consulting firm, which recently opened offices also in Washington DC and New York City, now offers clients expanded services like global clinical research recruitment services, drug safety/pharmacovigilance, blogging and social media services.

The Portland Business Journal’s annual list consists of privately held companies whose growth represents the best in the region. In order to be considered for the list, a company must have revenues of at least $500,000 and experienced revenue growth during the past three years.
“Our growth this last year exists in part because of our expanding partnerships and extended outsourcing consumer care solutions with industry giants like ConAgra, GlaxoSmithKline, Fleishman-Hillard, Ethicon Endo-surgery, a Johnson & Johnson company, and Boston Scientific,” says Academic Network President, David McCarron, MD, FACP, who has appeared in the New York Times, CBS, PBS, NPR and CNN. “We wouldn’t have this success without Portland’s rich multilingual healthcare workforce.”

About Academic Network, LLC
Academic Network, LLC is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Academic Network works with leading pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and other Fortune 500 companies, as well as healthcare organizations, in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications, Internet and other emerging media sources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public. Visit the Academic Network website at www.academicnetwork.com.

For more information, contact:
Claudia Johnson
Claudia@claudiajohnson.com
503.266.1776

With enhanced medical leadership, Academic Network expands its virtual medical affairs services for food, beverage, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies

PORTLAND, ORE., June 24, 2008 – Award-winning Academic Network LLC, a leading medical and health research and communications company, today announced that former Assistant US Surgeon General Woodie Kessel, MD, MPH, has joined the firm as Senior Scientific Advisor. Spurred on by a sales growth record of nearly 300%, Academic Network adds Dr. Kessel to its team of medical experts to enhance the company’s medical & health consulting, medical advisory services, and virtual medical affairs department.

“Dr. Kessel is an internationally recognized physician and public servant whose prestigious career in medicine and healthcare bring a new level of expertise to our clients wanting the best counsel to develop new products, support health claims, improve patient recruitment and retention practices, educate consumers and meet regulatory agency requirements,” said Kate McCarron, chief executive officer, Academic Network LLC. “We have worked with Woodie for years on the Shaping America’s Youth initiative (www.shapingamericasyouth.org) and know that his understanding of 21st century healthcare and medical issues will benefit all of our clients whether they are developing new products or in need of scientific advice.”

In addition to serving in the Office of the US Surgeon General, Dr. Kessel, a pediatrician who has been awarded numerous honors and medals of excellence in public service, has also served as both Medical Director and Senior Surgeon for the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps among countless other medical leadership roles. Kessel, who is best known for his advocacy for the improvement of child, family and community health, has been the senior advisor on public health, healthy policy and child and family health matters for the White House as well as PBS’ Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon among others. He has held numerous senior medical executive positions for boards, task forces and government agencies. Kessel received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kessel recently retired from the Public Health Service at the rank of Rear Admiral.

“I look forward to the opportunity to work with Academic Network in its commitment to provide best practices of the highest quality in communicating advances in healthcare to both consumers and health professionals, and ultimately to advance scientific knowledge,” said Dr. Kessel. “Academic Network’s leadership in developing effective strategies to recruit and retain subjects in clinical trials is a unique one and critical to advancing our understanding of new therapies.”

Food and beverage industries, clinical research organizations, biotechnology, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries as well as public relation firms seek Academic Network’s healthcare communication expertise. The term “one stop” clearly applies to Academic Network, whose all medical staff excels at:

• Contact center solutions: call center, IVR, online, fullfillment
• Clinical trial recruitment: site support, online screening services
• Consumer affairs counsel: direct to consumer educational campaigns
• Compliance counsel: adverse events reporting and customer care
• Healthcare operators and contact center staffing: medical & nutritional expertise
• New online media communications: web design, blogging, social networking

About Academic Network, LLC
Academic Network, LLC is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Academic Network works with leading pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and other Fortune 500 companies, as well as healthcare organizations, in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications, internet and new media resources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public.

Visit Academic Network at www.academicnetwork.com.
For a tour of what we do and request for interviews, contact:
Claudia Johnson
Claudia@claudiajohnson.com
(503) 266-1776