About Us

The Public Health Communications Collaborative is a learning and information hub for professionals who communicate about public health. Through relevant, timely, and practical communications tools and learning opportunities, we advance a public health system where everyone has what they need to make informed decisions about their health.

Messages that are simple, clear, and accurate can save lives.

Through supportive and resource-rich messaging and tools developed with public health communicators in mind, the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) contributes to a public health system where everyone has what they need to make informed decisions about their health.

PHCC was formed in August 2020 by the CDC Foundation, the de Beaumont Foundation, and Trust for America’s Health to provide unbiased communication about the COVID-19 pandemic. With misinformation and polarization eroding trust in public health, PHCC’s founders came together to create, coordinate, and amplify science-based messaging to support and enhance the communications capacity of health departments across the country.

Since that time, PHCC has grown to include new partners and broadened our mission beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. We create and amplify practical resources, messaging, and learning opportunities for public health communicators designed to address public health issues, build public confidence, and identify and counter misinformation. Our practical resources and training tools are directly informed by public health communicators on the front lines of their communities and designed to address their evolving needs. We develop answers to tough public health questions, misinformation alerts, shareable graphics, social messaging, plain language resources, and other communication tools.

Public health communicators have complex jobs. With the Public Health Communications Collaborative, they don’t have to do it alone.

Mission

To support the health and well-being of communities across the United States through timely, science-based messaging and communications resources.

Vision

An effective, equitable, and trusted public health system where everyone has access to the information they need to make good decisions about their health.

Approach

We create and amplify tools, resources, and learning opportunities for communicators designed to address public health issues, build public confidence, and identify and counter misinformation.

Our Commitment to Produce Accurate, Credible, and Trustworthy Content

At the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC), we adhere to a high standard for what qualifies as reliable public health information. Professional, community, and government leaders have come to rely on PHCC because our content is rooted in science-based facts and is easy to access, understand, and use.

To meet this high standard, our team of communications experts develops content from and with trusted sources, and our content is reviewed by expert scientific advisors.

As the public health policy landscape evolves, our content for public health professionals and the general public will continue to be rooted in science, and our drive to present it in plain language will remain a priority.

Leadership

Amanda Kwong, MPH

Amanda is the Director, Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC). In this role, Amanda leads the collaborative, including the development of timely, relevant, and practical tools for public health communicators across the country to use. Amanda has several years of experience overseeing the development, implementation, and evaluation of fully integrated multimedia communications programs on behalf of national non-profit organizations and federal government agencies. She holds an MPH from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in Psychology from Syracuse University.

Shea Van Horn

Shea is a Program Officer supporting the Public Health Communications Collaborative. In this role, he helps advance PHCC’s work to equip public health communicators with timely, practical tools, training, and learning opportunities that strengthen communication practice across the country. Over the past two decades, Shea has worked on public health communications initiatives for federal and public-sector clients, with a focus on HIV prevention as well as nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco control. Shea earned his MS from American University with a focus on health communication and has lived abroad in Athens, Greece, and Bangalore, India. Outside of work, he is active in DC’s arts and music communities and enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time with his husband and dog.

Bethany Kuerten, MSc

Bethany Kuerten, MSc-GH, is a senior program associate at the de Beaumont Foundation. At the Foundation, Bethany supports and leads programmatic efforts to strengthen public health practice, including managing the development and implementation of the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) Academy, expanding the Ambassador program, and managing PHCC social media. She also works to establish and cultivate new and innovative partnerships for PHCC.