Press Release

CDC's National Center for Health Marketing Forms Professional Advisory Group

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has established a panel of outside experts that will advise CDC's National Center for Health Marketing on its health marketing and communication programs. The National Center for Health Marketing was established to strengthen the agency's commitment to expanding the reach of its disease prevention and control programs.

"CDC sees communication and marketing as critical tools to improve people's health and bringing in outside experts can help us to be more effective. We view the new Board of Scientific Counselors as partners in helping CDC to meet its health marketing mission," said Jay Bernhardt, Ph.D., M.P.H., Director of CDC's National Center for Health Marketing.

The nine member board represents a cross section of health marketing and communications expertise from academia and industry. Kasisomayajula Viswanath, PhD., of Harvard University's Department of Society, Human Development and Health will serve as the first chair for the BSC.  Viswanath's research focuses on the influence of mass communication on the public health of diverse populations.

In addition to Viswanath, eight other public health marketing and communications experts, from across the country will serve on the board for terms ranging from one to four years. These members include:

• Dr. Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, Ed.D., Professor, Lehman College – City University of New York.
• Dr. Diana Cassady, Dr. P.H., Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California-Davis.
• Dr. Barbara DeBuono, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Medical Advisor, Pfizer, Inc., New York, NY.
• Dr. Richard Bagozzi, Ph.D., Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Dr. Sonya Grier, Ph.D., Associate Professor, American University, Washington, D.C.
• Dr. William Smith, Ed.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Senior Social Scientist, The Academy for Educational Development, Washington, D.C.
• Ms. Donna Nichols., M.S. Ed., Policy and Partnership Manager, The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, Austin, Texas.
• Dr. David Ahern, Ph.D., Associate in Psychology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.

For more information about CDC's National Center for Health Marketing visit www.cdc.gov/nchm.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES