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Health Communication & Marketing

Getting the right public health message to the right audience

ORAU health communication and marketing professionals collaborate with leading public health organizations and share expertise and experiences in the United States and around the world.

Whether delivering preventive health messaging on vaccines in Asia, preventing transmission of Ebola in Africa, containing pandemic flu in the Americas, or addressing the opioid challenge in Appalachia, the ORAU team builds effective communication strategies and creates interventions and products tailored to specific audiences facing serious health issues.

ORAU develops measurable health communication interventions to effectively reach high-risk audiences in an effort to prevent or mitigate critical health concerns. Our experts employ proven marketing strategies and innovative technologies to disseminate tailored disease prevention messages and materials.

In this section:

Speaker and audience at health communication meeting

What we do

The ORAU health communication and marketing team can advise you on the most powerful approach to meeting your program’s needs. ORAU communication professionals start with a strong collaborative foundation with our client to create cost-effective health messaging, using formative research and concept testing to develop the right products. They utilize precise data collection instruments, program monitoring and evaluation to make sure you are reaching the right audiences and that audiences are responding favorably to the health messaging.

What we offer

  • Social marketing plan development, including concept discovery and design
  • Formative research, such as focus groups and online surveys
  • Product and resource development for print or electronic dissemination
  • Concept testing of proposed interventions
  • Writing and editing, including message mapping and message testing
  • Public and media relations, such as digital press kits and media buys
  • Audience specific and community-based interventions
  • Meeting, conference and expert panel support
  • Social media icons, likes, followers, email

    Is social media helping or hindering vaccination rates?

    A team from ORAU and the University of Georgia is characterizing the digital channels, principal arguments and communication message tactics used by pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine advocates across social media for three different types of vaccines. Funded by ORAU's ODRD program, this project is examines message tactics and other components that can be used as part of a digital strategy to improve vaccine messaging on social media in an effort to increase vaccination rates.

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    Opioid abuse crisis in Appalachia

    Since 2016, ORAU has traveled to six Appalachian states training more than 30 anti-drug coalitions, not-for-profit organizations, local health departments, emergency responders and law enforcement agencies through an Opioid Prevention Social Media Training and Technical Assistance Program. The program trains local organizations to more effectively use social media to communicate with the public about opioid misuse and abuse.

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    ORAU assists CDC in national HPV immunization campaign

    ORAU and its partner Mediassociates made extensive use of digital media advertisements on targeted websites and social media channels to amplify the reach and effectiveness of CDC’s national HPV immunization campaign.

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See how we've helped our clients

I gave the highest marks to ORAU for helping to conceptualize, develop, and evaluate over 25 major projects including the development of web and social media-based tools and conducting research-based projects on cardiovascular health, heart disease and stroke prevention, diabetes, smoking, cancer, immunization, STD prevention, violence prevention, social marketing and emergency risk communication. Each of these projects were consistently high quality, on time and often under budget. The ORAU staff were people of integrity that were dependable—consistently delivering as promised.

Galen Cole PhD, MPH, LPC, WCP
CDC Senior Scientist and Project Officer (Retired)

adult male wearing surgical mask to prevent virus exposure

Triage tools help mitigate medical surge during an influenza pandemic

The Pandemic Influenza Triage Tools are a toolkit for healthcare professionals and community healthcare leaders and decision makers to manage influenza-like illness (ILI) and medical surge during a pandemic. 

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Our Experts

Jennifer Reynolds

Jennifer Reynolds, M.P.H.

Expertise: Health communication, social marketing, social media, behavioral science research

Reynolds has more than 10 years of experience managing research, health communication and social marketing projects for federal government and nonprofit agencies.

Publications: Communicating about Opioids in Appalachia: Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices

Certification: Certified Health Education Specialist

LaFrancis Gibson

LaFrancis Gibson, M.P.H.

Expertise: Health education and training, health promotion, community outreach and engagement to special and underserved populations, formative research

Gibson has more than 10 years of experience working with federal agencies, HBCUs, MEIs, public health departments, community- and faith-based organizations and national organizations. Her specialties include consumer, medical, HIV/AIDS, toxicological and environmental health.

Certifications: Certified Health Education Specialist, ThinkTank Session Leader Training Course Certification

Kristin A. Mattson, M.P.H.

Kristin A. Mattson, M.P.H.

Expertise: Health education, communication, and promotion; social media, social marketing, qualitative research, training development and implementation

Mattson is a project manager leading strategic public health communication projects for her clients including federal, state, and local agencies and organizations. Prior to entering the public health field, Mattson earned a B.S. in Micro and Molecular Biology and worked in both education and healthcare.

Publications: Communicating about Opioids in Appalachia: Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices

Certification: Master Certified Health Education Specialist, ThinkTank Certified Facilitator, Certificate of Proficiency in Qualitative Research

Contact us

For information about ORAU’s health communication, preparedness and response needs, contact Freddy Gray, director, Health Communication and Preparedness programs, at 865.576.0029 or freddy.gray@orau.org.