2025 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media

Watch and listen as top minds in the field share their ideas, experiences, and emerging solutions in our onsite podcast studio! Select poster presenters and public health leaders will take the mic — stop by to listen in or hear interviews live throughout the conference.

Start your day with coffee and conversations! Enjoy networking with a cup of joe or your favorite morning pick me up.

A focused look at digital and mobile health campaigns abroad

Sessions and Presenters

• mHealth for Under Five Pneumonia Prevention in Pakistan
  Hana Mahmood, MBBS, MS Health Informatics, PhD Global Health. Director Programs and Research Neoventive Solutions/IRF
   
• Elevating Problem Gambling as a Public Health Issue
  Jose Nieto, MA and Caitlin Dodge, BA, Argus

Innovations in audience segmentation, mapping, and analysis

Sessions and Presenters:

• Discovering Hidden Health Audiences: A Strategic Scan of IPC Potential in Public Health Institutes

Jaime Jimenez, MPH, National Network of Public Health Institutes

• Measuring the digital diet: A social media data donation approach reveals platform-specific racial disparities in food and beverage advertisement exposure

Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD, NORC at the University of Chicago

Exploring responsible and strategic use of artificial intelligence

Sessions and Presenters

• Awareness, Adoption, and Wellbeing Impact of AI-Driven Health Communication Tools among Indigenous Language Speakers in Nigeria

Evaristus Adesina, Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwest University, South Africa
 

• Generative AI as an Accelerator for Health Communications

Erin Malone, Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting
 

• Human First, AI-Assisted: Ethical Innovation in Public Health Communication with Arclet

Adrienne Ammerman, MA, Arclet

The rapid transformation of digital media has revolutionized the way people access and engage with health information. From visual storytelling to generative AI, Dr. Garth Graham, Head of YouTube Health, will highlight the opportunities and responsibilities that come with leveraging these tools. Attendees will gain insight into emerging trends, successful partnerships, and how digital media can be used to create meaningful public health impact.

Key Focus Areas

• Multi-Dimensional Content Creation: From long-form explainer videos and expert discussions to quick, punchy YouTube Shorts and the rising popularity of health podcasts, a combination of audio and visual formats can be transformative in our communications to build trust, personalize outreach, and spark sustained engagement.
   
• AI’s Role in Health Communication: While AI tools offer unprecedented support in tailoring and scaling content, there is a continued need for accuracy, human oversight, and ethical responsibility. Partnerships between public health institutions, academia, and media platforms are more essential than ever to combat misinformation.

Ultimately, this address is a call to action: to embrace new tools and formats, commit to cross-sector collaboration, and reimagine public health communication with creativity, caution, and care. The future is digital—and together, we can shape it for good.

The central hub of the conference experience! Stop by International Ballroom South throughout the event to meet our sponsors and exhibitors, check out the podcast studio, and network between sessions.

Engaging underserved communities in cancer screening campaigns

Sessions and Presenters

• Driving Early Cancer Detection Through Educational Messaging at the Point-of-Care: How One Digital Campaign Motivates Breast Cancer Screenings Among New-to-Screening Women
  Kelsey Pratt, BA, MPA, Phreesia
• Making Breast Care a Priority for Essential Workers
  Carlos Velazquez, MA, HMA Associates, Inc.
• Engaging Former NFL Players to Drive Colorectal Cancer Awareness and Screening Among Black Men
  Janet Marchibroda, MBA, NFL Alumni Association

Culturally rooted campaigns for women and children

Sessions and Presenters

• ​​​​​​Engaging Pregnant and Postpartum Women Through Audience-Centric Messaging
• Developing the Harris County Maternal Health Bill of Rights to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes
  Kimberly Henderson, PhD, MA, Harris County Public Health Department
• Blending Culture and Connectivity: Promoting Maternal Participation in Pediatric Heart Health Assessments findings from Rural Northern Karnataka, India
  Shailaja Patil, MD, BLDE University

Creative strategies that make the most of every dollar

Sessions and Presenters

• ​​​​​​A Multi-faceted Approach to Vector-borne Disease Outreach and Education in New York City, 2023-2024
  Christina Ng, RN, MPH, NYC Department of Health

• The Power of User-Generated Content: Achieving Social Media Success in Public Health on a Budget
  Ali McIntosh, Public Health and Behavior Change Expert, VI Marketing and Branding

Poster and podcast presentations - more information coming soon!

In this timely and candid fireside chat, public health professionals will explore the real-world challenges of vaccine communication in today’s complex media and trust landscape. As vaccine conversations become increasingly difficult in some communities, this session offers a space for open dialogue, grounded solutions, and renewed motivation to keep showing up with accurate information—especially when the work is increasingly challenging.

Panelists will share frontline experiences and research insights on how to navigate vaccine hesitancy, build trust through community relationships, and keep conversations productive on platforms flooded with misinformation. Highlights include new public polling data on childhood vaccine attitudes, examples of successful collaborations with community-based organizations during the COVID-19 response, and emerging solutions on ways to help people access trustworthy information and engage in productive online conversations.

Whether you’re a communicator, a clinician, a scientist, or a community leader, this session will offer strategies to stay engaged, support informed decisions, and keep the public conversation grounded in facts and empathy—even when the going gets tough.

Today’s public health workforce is navigating intense pressure—from chronic underfunding and political polarization to workforce shortages and the emotional toll of responding to overlapping crises. In this environment, stress isn’t just a personal issue—it’s a structural one. This session creates space for public health professionals to acknowledge these realities while building practical, evidence-based strategies to manage stress, foster resilience, and protect their well-being. Through guided exercises, peer connection, and expert insights, participants will explore tools rooted in positive psychology, mindfulness, and dimensions of wellbeing. You'll leave with a personalized stress management plan and resources you can apply immediately—because sustaining your own well-being is foundational to sustaining the mission of public health.

In today’s digital working environment, every professional needs an impressive headshot. Step into the Portrait Station for a free, professional headshot — perfect for updating your LinkedIn, organizational bio, or conference speaker profile. Our onsite photographer will help you put your best face forward.

Start your day with coffee and conversations – enjoy networking with a cup of joe or other favorite morning pick me up.

The central hub of the conference experience! Stop by International Ballroom South throughout the event to meet our sponsors and exhibitors, check out the podcast studio, and network between sessions.

Addressing misinformation, fraud, and communication around uncertainty

Sessions and Presenters:

• Focus Group Study of Cost and Non-cost Barriers to Better Health in Kentucky
  Susan Bornstein, MD, MPH, The Asclepius Initiative, Inc
• Fraud Fighters: Designing a Targeted Mass Fraud Intervention Campaign to Prevent Repeat Victimization Among Older Adults
  Shari Lambert, BFA, Communication Art, Graphic Design, RTI International
• ​​​​​​Clinician-Centered Communication: Improving Implementation of Practice Guidelines

Innovative communications tackling opioids, tobacco, and youth risk

Sessions and Presenters:

• Acceptability and Influence of Health Communications Campaign Messaging from a Multistate Opioid Overdose Reduction StudyJamie Luster, MPH, The Ohio State University
• Talk About Tobacco: Empowering Parents to Prevent Youth Nicotine Use
  Tyler Klaassen, Senior Marketing Strategist, BI Marketing & Branding
• Mapping the Opioid Crisis on Twitter: Social Network Insights and Public Health Implications

Models and tools to strengthen understanding, engagement, and transparency

Sessions and Presenters

• Do-It-Yourself Community Health Assessment: A Toolkit for Local Health Departments and Beyond
  Amanda Accordino, M.Ed, CHES, Lorain County Public Health
• Empowering Communities: Shifting Ownership In Health Communication and Social Change
  Kirsten Gunst, BA, Metropolitan Group
• The Public Knowledge Exchange Model: Strengthening Engagement and Understanding Across Science and Society
  Rose Hayes, RN, BSN, MA, Emory University

Poster and podcast presentations - more information coming soon!

Overview
The arts can transform health communication by leveraging aesthetic experiences, creative media, and community engagement. Rooted in evidence and ethics, the session will address how arts participation functions as a health behavior and social determinant of health. With a dynamic opening performance and expert panel discussion, the session will challenge attendees to expand their understanding of communication to include shared aesthetic experiences, arts-based methods, entertainment education, and historically powerful uses of the arts in activism and public health.

Key Focus Areas

• The science and impact of arts participation as a health behavior
• Examples of arts-based health communications
• Aesthetic experience and shared meaning in public health messaging
• The history of the arts in both harm and healing
• Arts prescribing in the U.S. 
• Data from the Arts for EveryBody initiative
• Entertainment education
• Ethics of collaboration with artists and communities

In an era where misinformation lingers and outdated narratives still influence patient decisions, how can we as health communicators lead with clarity, compassion, and cultural understanding?

Join us for this dynamic, hands-on workshop designed to help providers, public health leaders, and clinical teams tackle some of the toughest trust issues in health care today. Using the long-debunked autism-measles vaccine myth as a case study, we’ll explore how historical harms, media narratives, and lived community experience continue to shape public perception—and what we can do about it.

Why You Should Attend:
Through real-world case discussions, peer exchange, and proven tools, you'll discover how to communicate preventive care messages with greater impact. This is your chance to engage in honest dialogue, explore innovative models from community health centers (CHCs), and reimagine how trust-centered messaging can bridge gaps and drive equitable care.

What You'll Take Home:

• Proven strategies for talking about preventive care clearly and confidently
• A deeper understanding of how history and media shape today’s health behaviors
• Tools for culturally grounded, relationship-first communication
• The opportunity to co-develop contributions for a future Journal of Health Communication publication

Whether you’re on the frontlines or shaping strategy behind the scenes, this workshop is your launchpad to more meaningful, effective conversations with patients and communities.

In a time of rapid change and uncertainty, career development in public health requires flexibility, intentionality, and new strategies. This session is designed to help professionals navigate their next steps with confidence. Whether you're facing burnout, exploring new sectors, or seeking growth in your current role, you’ll learn how to assess your skills, clarify your goals, and position yourself for meaningful opportunities. We’ll explore pathways across and beyond traditional public health roles, from government and academia to consulting, philanthropy, and tech. Participants will have the chance to enhance career planning with expert guidance regarding searching, tailoring resumes, and more! Come ready to reflect, plan, and take actionable steps toward the next phase of your public health career.

Note: This workshop has limited capacity and requires pre-registration. Participants will have the option to schedule one-on-one follow-up coaching sessions tailored to their goals. Details coming soon.

Youth-led or youth-informed public health strategies

Sessions and Presenters:

• Bridging the Gap: Insights from Teen Consultations on Health Communication
  Kristen Mollan, MPH
• Involving Rural Youth Perspectives to Shape Tobacco Prevention Messaging
  Lorin Boyce, Deloitte Manager, Deloitte Consulting
• Less Awk, More Talk: How Young Adults Helped Shape a Campaign to Improve Communication Around Intimacy and Relationships
  Anna Jaffee, CCPH, Fors Marsh

Reaching and resonating with diverse communities

Sessions and Presenters:

• What a Vaccine Campaign in One of the Most Diverse Counties in the United States Can Teach Us
  Hugo Perez, Harris County Public Health
• Respect, Honor, Amplify: Co-creating Storytelling Videos with People with Living Experiences of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Promoting them to Healthcare Professionals
  Betsy Smither, MPH, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
• Be Fierce. Take Control.® : Creating a culturally responsive lupus awareness campaign for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latina young women
  Melicent Miller, DrPH, MSPH, Lupus Foundation of America

How digital spaces shape conversations on mental health

• Communicating Mental Health on Digital Media: Sentiment Analysis on TikTok and Twitter
• Tobacco Use and Today’s Youth: Relationships between Stress, Social Media Use, and Tobacco Product Use
  Cathy Lesesne, PhD, MPH, Deloitte Consulting
• I Choose H2O: Choosing to listen and work with adolescents to increase water consumption
  Laurel Billette, MPH, Prevention Research Center, University of New Mexico

Sessions and Presenters

• Assessing Collective Efficacy and Participant Variation in Community Health Education: A Pilot Study of the SINABE Tool
  Angelico Razon, MD MPH MSHP FAAP, California Department of Health Care Services
• Discernment Out of Disorder: Information Literacy Interventions in Diaspora Communities
  Leezel Tanglao, BA, MA, FYLPRO Tayo
• Care Before You Share: Confronting Misinformation in the Filipino Diaspora
  Mark Calaguas, BA, JD, FYLPRO Tayo
• CYFAM Evening Report - An Intergenerational, Educational Intervention Built Upon Cultural Psychology, Structural Competency, and Self-Determination Theory
  Ashlee Joan Macalino, BS, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
• Kain na Tayo: Culturally Tailored Multimedia Heart Healthy Nutrition Education for Filipino Americans
  Tien Nguyen, BS, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Sessions and Presenters:

• Co-Creating Web-Based Games to Promote Engagement With the All of Us Research Program
  Allyson Corbo, MPH, RTI International
• CDC’s Empower Vape-Free Youth Campaign: Improving Reach and Engagement with Educators Through Focused Outreach
  Sarah Ray, MA, Center for Communication Science; RTI International
• Leveraging Social and Digital Strategies to Achieve Meaningful Outcomes: Results from a Newborn Screening Awareness Campaign
  Lauren Reynolds, BA

Raegan McDonald-Mosley, Power to Decide (PTD) and Contraceptive Access Initiative (CAI)
Elizabeth Toledo, Camino Public Relations

• Conducting a Rapid Community Assessment to Inform a Mpox Communication Campaign
  Steve L. Evener, MPH, Karna, LLC
• Applying Findings from a Rapid Community Assessment to Develop a Mpox Communications Campaign
  Kelly Clay, MS, CHES, PMP, Karna, LLC
• Evaluation to Develop and Assess the Effectiveness and Impact of a Mpox Communications Campaign in New Hampshire
  Nicole Weinstein, MSW, Karna, LLC

Watch and listen as top minds in the field share their ideas, experiences, and emerging solutions in our onsite podcast studio! Select poster presenters and public health leaders will take the mic — stop by to listen in or hear interviews live throughout the conference.

Start your day with coffee and conversations – enjoy networking with a cup of joe or other favorite morning pick me up.

The central hub of the conference experience! Stop by International Ballroom South throughout the event to meet our sponsors and exhibitors, check out the podcast studio, and network between sessions.

Narrative power and emotional resonance in public health

Sessions and Presenters:

• Stop The Scroll: Transforming Public Health Marketing in a Crowded Digital Landscape
  Noella Rios, B.A., Jefferson County Public Health
• Storytelling for Social Change: Using Narrative to Build Trust and Drive Behavior
  Mindy Scott, Behavior Change Expert, VI Marketing and Branding
• Reaching Communities: Using effective processes to elevate local leaders through media
  Barbara Lopez, B.S., Florida Department of Health/Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida

Using CRM, partnerships, and empathy to build public health momentum

• Behind the Smoke Screen: Influences on Tobacco Information-Seeking via Social Media Among Young Adults
  Ariel Balaban, MHS, University of Maryland
• Youth Substance Use Prevention: Strategies for an Effective Campaign
  Jasmine Kenney, MPH, CDC
• Reducing Food Insecurity by Connecting Denver Families to Federal and Local Food Resources Through Text Messages
  Jodie Fishman, MPH, MCHES, Bright by Text

Multi-channel strategies for different populations

Sessions and Presenters:

• Tobacco Free Florida’s prevention campaign, THE FACTS NOW presents Behind The Screen – a multi-channel campaign that aims to expose the dark side of vaping
  Christina Carbonell, BS, Alma
• Florida’s “Set a Quit Date” Program: Using CRM to Increase Quit Attempts
• More Than a Haircut: Meeting People Where They Are to Help Them Quit Smoking
  Madison George, B.S., Golin

LeShaundra Cordier, MPH, HCN Global
Allison Kadin, MBA, Mission Partners
Alison Rodden, HCN Global

Scott Ratzan, M.D., M.P.A., M.A., B.A., CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Rebecca Ivic, Ph.D., M.A., B.A., The University of Alabama

Kevin Kirkpatrick, BA, MS, Metropolitan Group

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Now more than ever, the importance of public health should be communicated effectively to inform the public of its value and far-reaching impact. Join this dynamic panel discussion as it delves into creative and transformative approaches for spreading the public health narrative.

Designed to spark innovative thinking, the session encourages participants to use storytelling and inventive communication techniques to reveal how science, research, and data work together to improve health and save lives.

Key Focus Areas

• Shaping Public Perception: Collect and evaluate data to understand how the public views health issues, highlighting the importance of clear public health narratives in a complex communication environment. 
• Strategic Messaging in a Cluttered Media Landscape: Discover effective communication tactics and learn how to prioritize time and resources in an environment filled with diverse and competing media channels.
• Adapting Marketing Strategies Amid Change: Investigate how to blend creativity with data and emerging technologies to shift perceptions and resonate with varied audiences.
• Engaging Through Media and Trusted Voices: Explore opportunities for collaboration with media outlets, refine storytelling approaches, and leverage influencers and trusted communicators to boost engagement.

This session reinforces the importance of concise, compelling narratives and strategic initiatives in effectively conveying the profound value of public health.