These stories are based on confidential interviews conducted as part of the CDC Listening Project. Participants review and approve written summaries describing their work, their contributions, and the circumstances surrounding their separation. Stories are published without names or identifying details.
When Communication Saves Lives: The Media Campaigns Behind Tobacco Prevention
From executive correspondence at the CDC Director’s office to running the Media Campaign Resource Center, this communications pro connected states to evidence-based media strategies—supporting campaigns that helped more than a million people quit smoking.
Improving Health Communication Here and Abroad
A national STI prevention campaign helped drive major increases in testing among young people—demonstrating the power of research-informed communication. This CDC health communication leader designed and led evidence-based campaigns on HPV, sexual health, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19, combining behavioral science, strategic partnerships, and rapid translation of data to reach millions and strengthen public health efforts in the U.S. and abroad.
Background in Videotaping CEOs Led to Better Footage of CDC Experts
When a CDC expert appeared calm, clear, and compelling on local television during an outbreak, it wasn’t by accident. Behind the camera was a veteran videographer who had once filmed CEOs, celebrities, and a former president. At CDC, this broadcast specialist used decades of production experience to help scientists connect with the public—turning complex public health guidance into human stories that informed, reassured, and reached millions.
Preserving and Cataloging CDC’s Artifacts and Key Memories
Before there were smartphones, before smallpox was eradicated, before vaccine safety systems were formalized—there were people making decisions in real time. This CDC historian and collections manager worked to preserve those moments. By restoring artifacts, cataloging decades of materials, and building a public oral history archive, this historian helped safeguard the human stories behind the science so future generations could learn from them.
Data and Creativity Help Meet Audiences Where They Are
From emergency deployments during hurricanes, Zika, and COVID-19 to leading national vaccine equity campaigns and advancing digital accessibility, this CDC public health leader used data and creativity to help communities access clear, inclusive health information. Their work strengthened language access, improved public health messaging, and built agency-wide capacity to communicate about health equity.
Making Vital Health Information Accessible Online
What happens when 900 pages of infection control guidance move online without redesign? Confusion. This CDC health communicator applied user experience science to transform complex public health guidance into clear, accessible digital resources—ensuring that clinicians, health departments, and communities could quickly find and use life-saving information.