Conference Details: NCHCMM 2025

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 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.

This plenary session explores how 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.

Jill Sonke, PhD
Director of Research Initiatives
Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida

Dyllón Burnside
Actor, Producer, and Advocate
Arts in Mass Media

Alana Jackson
Arts & Public Health Specialist, Community Engagement and Spoken Word Artist

Natalie Rella
Communications Specialist
Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida

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.

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

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.

Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH
President & CEO
de Beaumont Foundation

Katherine Reed
Director of Education and Content
Association of Health Care Journalists/Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism

Ashani Johnson-Turbes
Vice President
NORC at the University of Chicago

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.

Charlotte Moser
Co-Director, Vaccine Education Center
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Connie Moon Sehat, PhD
Co-founder and Director of Research
Discourse Labs

Robert Jennings
Executive Director
NPHIC

Gillian SteelFisher, PhD, MSc
Principal Research Scientist
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

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 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.

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.

Scott C. Ratzan, MD, MPA, MA
Distinguished Lecturer, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Health Communication

Rebecca K. Ivic
Associate Dean of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity; Professor of Health Communication; College of Communication & Information Sciences, The University of Alabama
Senior Editor, Journal of Health Communication

2025 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media

Conference Program & Speakers