UC Davis podcast, Unfold, wins two national Signal Awards
Episode explored the experiences of patients with the fungal infection valley fever
(SACRAMENTO)
The UC Davis podcast Unfold has won two Signal Awards for an episode about valley fever, putting the show in the company of productions from CNN, Amy Poehler, NPR and others.
From left, Marianne Russ Sharp and Amy Quinton in the studio where they often record podcast episodes.
The winning episode, “Just One Spore,” profiled two patients whose lives have been upended by the fungal infection valley fever. The episode earned a silver award in the science and education category, and a bronze award in the health and wellness category.
The episode was reported and produced by Amy Quinton, a news and media relations specialist at UC Davis, and edited by Marianne Russ Sharp, managing editor for news at UC Davis Health. The pair co-hosted the episode. Both have backgrounds in public radio journalism.
"We were judged by some of the best audio storytellers in the business and competed with podcast companies whose budgets far exceed ours,” Quinton said. “We are extraordinarily grateful for this recognition and to be in the company of such talented people creating incredible podcasts."
The Signal Awards is a national contest that seeks to recognize “the most potent, meaningful and unprecedented audio projects being made today.” Judges included podcast creators from Podvision, Netflix, NPR, Podcasts at YouTube, TED, iHeart Media, and PRX.
Highlighting a growing threat
For most people, valley fever is a treatable illness, but for some, like patients Kyleigh Cooyar and Rex Dangerfield, it can cause debilitating symptoms.
“I don't feel normal anymore,” Dangerfield shared in the podcast episode. “I used to be able to play, you know, run around. I used to be able to play basketball. I used to love to bowl. I can't do that anymore.”
Both Dangerfield and Cooyar have been under the care of physician George Thompson, co-director of the UC Davis Center for Valley Fever. He’s helped improve their quality of life by finding the right treatments, which can be challenging.
“He's the one that got it under control, and I think he saved my life,” Cooyar said.
Thompson, an infectious diseases specialist, is also researching new treatments and the effect of climate change on the spread of valley fever beyond the West. The fungal infection is now popping up in places where people have never heard of it.
“Working on this episode was a real eye-opener in terms of the potential spread of valley fever and its impact on humans, and the importance of the work that physician-scientists like Dr. Thompson are doing,” Sharp said.
