In my role, I provide strategic communication advice to the Associate Director for Prevention and the Director of the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP). I act as ODP's primary liaison for communications with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I’ve hired and supervised a talented team responsible for all communication and media activities for the ODP, directing the design, execution, and evaluation of our public affairs, health information, and web and social media programs.I lead office-wide efforts to highlight the importance of prevention research, disseminate valuable resources, and strengthen relationships with key partners. One of my key responsibilities is managing the design and ongoing updates of our website, prevention.nih.gov, to ensure we effectively reach a wider audience.I also oversee communication strategies for ODP conferences and events, handling everything from budget development to promotion and onsite social media efforts. I ensure we respond promptly to public and media inquiries, maintaining accurate and timely communication. Additionally, I manage the submission of all required reports to NIH and HHS and am certified as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) - Level 2, which underscores my expertise in contract oversight.

I directed our communications team and managed various programs, including the development, design, and maintenance of the ODP website. I handled media requests and supervised conference promotion activities, as well as the creation of materials and social media content.One of my key roles was serving as the lead planner and organizer for the annual NIH Medicine in the Media training course, where I worked to educate journalists on how to evaluate and report on health and medical news more accurately. I also advised the Associate Director for Prevention on all communication-related projects, ensuring our messaging was aligned with our goals.

My focus in the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) was on developing approaches to investigate dietary supplements for their potential health-promoting and disease-preventing properties. I worked to enhance our efforts in providing reliable, science-based information about dietary supplements and their role in promoting wellness. This included translating the science for the public by creating and updating educational materials, presenting information to both consumer and professional groups, managing our exhibits program, and promoting outreach projects aimed at the general public.One of my proudest achievements was initiating, coordinating, and independently leading the effort to design and develop a free mobile app called My Dietary Supplements (MyDS). This app gives consumers an easy way to track the dietary supplements they take and was one of the first mobile apps developed within the federal government. I also assisted various federal offices and agencies with their mobile app development projects, which was incredibly rewarding. For my work as the lead of the ODS Mobile Communications team, I received an NIH OD Honor Award.Additionally, I served as the ODS representative on several NIH-wide and federal government committees, including the NIH Health and Wellness Council, Healthy People 2020, and the Prevention Research Coordinating Committee. I was also involved with the Federal Working Group on Dietary Supplements, the NIH Nutrition Coordinating Committee, and the NIH Mobile Health Interest Group, as well as serving on the NIH Medline Plus Advisory Committee.I had the privilege of chairing the NIH Staff Training in Extramural Programs (STEP) Committee and the Consumer Health Informatics (CHI) Work Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Provided personal nutrition consultations and individual computerized diet analysis to students, athletes, and faculty. Developed and maintained interactive nutritional website; closely collaborated with the computer programming team on the design, implementation, and beta testing of website. Analyzed dining hall recipes using ESHA's Food Processor SQL software. Developed a food labeling system to better assist students on special diets.

Nutrition risk screening, assessment, care planning, and documentation for oncology, cardiology, pediatric, immunology, endocrinology, transplant, surgery, renal, critical care, neurology, alcoholic, and mental health patients at "America's Research Hospital" with 240 inpatient beds and 82 day-hospital stations. Provided nutrition education for weight management, cholesterol lowering, diabetes, dialysis, symptom management, and the safe use of dietary supplements. Worked in metabolic kitchen on macro/micro-nutrient specific diet development and feeding studies. Assisted with the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of the effect of Orlistat on adolescent obesity.