I have been honored to serve five years in the federal government at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Director of the National Center for Health Marketing. We accomplished a great deal with limited resources in a short period of time. I am proud to observe that many other federal agencies and non-governmental [...]
The recent launch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 2009 Flu Prevention Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest reminded us how important a role health and risk communications play in responding to outbreaks and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. For those who haven’t heard about the PSA contest, HHS has invited the public [...]
Everyone knows that health communication and marketing can raise awareness about health issues and promote prevention behaviors. But did you know that health communication and social media marketing plays a critical role in responding to outbreaks? Right now, CDC is participating in a unique, interagency collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [...]
In reviewing the work of health marketing at CDC last year, I am extremely proud of the amazing things we achieved. If one word were required to sum up 2008, that word would have to be busy! In 2008, we created and launched CDC-TV, an online series of direct-to-consumer health videos. We posted exciting and [...]
I got my flu vaccination. Have you gotten yours? If you haven’t, it’s not too late to prevent getting the flu. In fact, that’s the main message of National Influenza Vaccination Week, which is taking place this week, December 8-14, 2008. While flu season in the United States generally runs from October through May, people [...]
This week, I’m proud to mention a recent success in disseminating a much needed CDC health message at one of our nation’s most prestigious museums, the Smithsonian. The original artwork from the Eagle Books series developed for children by CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation will be exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American [...]
Wikipedia describes a social network as “a social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, conflict, trade, web links, sexual relations, disease transmission, or airline routes. The resulting structures are often [...]
The most important platform in the world for collecting and delivering targeted and tailored health information during the first half of the 21st Century will be mobile phones. Mobile phones and integrated wireless devices will revolutionize the practice of public health and touch billions of lives around the world.
On December 1, 2007, the world will collectively observe World AIDS Day. Since 1988, World AIDS Day has provided an important opportunity for governments, organizations, communities, and individuals to generate greater public awareness of the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to re-energize those fighting against it. Worldwide, HIV prevalence-the percentage of people living [...]
This is an exciting time to be working in health communication, marketing, and media. While each of these areas has roots in distinct disciplines, what brings us together is our shared belief that customers (however defined) matter most, information is powerful, and protecting and promoting people’s health is a noble cause worth fighting for.