The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is highlighting the work of two current CCP staff members on the jhsph.edu homepage this week.
Amber Summers, based in Baltimore, and Cheryl Lettenmaier, based in Uganda, took very different paths to get to CCP — and do very different types of work here. But everything they do revolves around harnessing the power of communication to inspire people to make the healthiest choices possible for themselves and their families:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) knows firsthand that communication saves lives—millions at a time.
Made up of more than 600 talented and creative communication professionals working in the United States and in more than 35 countries around the globe, the Center works to advance the critical role of health communication in public health.
They create mass media campaigns that reach millions through television dramas whose characters model healthy behaviors, radio call-in shows where health questions are answered, and innovative mobile phone apps including one where users can have conversations with virtual family planning counselors. They are well versed in problem solving. They work seamlessly with varied stakeholders including community representatives, departments or ministries of health, and NGOs to implement successful public health interventions.
“Communication as a social science can be overlooked in public health,” says CCP executive director Susan Krenn, but the impact is both measurable and significant.
