Blogs

Teaching Wellness with Purpose: A CHES® Spotlight on Dr. Sandra Panattieri, DHsc, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 8 days ago
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Some health education specialists begin their journey intentionally, enrolling as undergrads in colleges of public health or health education, already knowing this is the direction they want to pursue. Others arrive here after years of doing the work long before they even had the word for it—quietly shifting behaviors, teaching healthier choices, challenging misinformation, and changing lives one individual or family at a time. For Dr. Sandra Panattieri, DHSc, CHES®, that diverse career journey unfolded naturally across decades of wellness coaching, nutrition education, and community engagement before ultimately leading her into higher education, where her ...
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Flipping the Script on Health Communications: An Interview with Efe M. Oghoghome, MPH, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 22 days ago
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When I met Efe M. Oghoghome in person at the 2025 Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, it was immediately clear that she brings both depth and drive to her role in public health. Her work isn’t merely about messaging—it’s about reimagining the entire ecosystem of health communications, especially for young people navigating a complex world. As a Health Communications Specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Efe plays a central role in shaping the voice and vision of youthink Incubator Hub , an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that redefines how we approach ...
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Supporting the Next Generation of Nurses with a CHES® Mindset, with Mitchell Marcus, MPH, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 10-17-2025
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For Mitchell Marcus, health education and promotion is more than a field—it’s a framework for building equity, advocacy, and well-being in every corner of student life. As Assistant Director for Student Engagement & Wellbeing and an Adjunct Faculty member in the Entry to Baccalaureate Division at Rutgers University School of Nursing, Marcus is helping to shape the next generation of healthcare professionals, both inside and outside the classroom. From Public Health Roots to a Nursing School Role Marcus began his journey in health education while conducting outreach in local high schools across urban parts of New Jersey. “I was having conversations with ...
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Teaching Beyond the Textbook: Connecting Academia and Practice, with Jamie Luckhardt, MPH, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 10-03-2025
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When the University of New Haven hired Jamie Luckhardt as a Practitioner in Residence , they weren’t filling a conventional faculty position—they were building a bridge. After nearly a decade of working in local health in Connecticut, Luckhardt brought the cadence of the field directly into the MPH curriculum. “I bring my practical experience into our classroom,” she explains. “We do projects such as a community needs assessment and a program proposal plan they would be able to apply for a grant with—just like they might do in a future job role.” Today, Luckhardt teaches graduate courses in Public Health Practice, Health Behavior and Society, Health Education ...
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Innovating for Impact: A CHES® Spotlight with Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST

By Jessica Wessner posted 09-19-2025
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For Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST, public health is more than a profession—it’s a calling rooted in philanthropy, community, prevention, and trust. “I’ve always been a people person,” Jenkins shares. “I like to say I never meet a stranger. I love serving my community, and that’s really the reason behind everything I do every day in my business.” That commitment has shaped her journey from early hospital work to founding Jenkins Public Health Consulting®, where she focuses on designing and implementing programs, building strategic partnerships, and building trust with communities that turn viewers into doers. A Shift from Treatment to Prevention Brittaney’s ...
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Building Bridges in Community Health: With Charlese Hawkins-Hatton, MHA, MFA, CPhT, LSSWB, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 09-05-2025
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As a Health Promotion Specialist at Penn Family Medicine in Philadelphia, Charlese Hawkins-Hatton is leading efforts to bring healthcare directly into the community. Her portfolio includes pop-up clinics that provide vaccines, blood pressure checks, A1C tests, acute care, and physicals for school sports, driver’s licenses, and employment. She also helps run a recurring school-based clinic three days a week, ensuring local students have access to essential care. “We understand that access to primary care is a major issue in Philadelphia,” she explained. “Sometimes it can take six months to a year to get an appointment. Our community events help fill those gaps ...
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Leading Wellness with Heart: An Interview with Madison Moore, MS, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 08-22-2025
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When Madison Moore walks into a room—virtual or otherwise—there’s an energy that follows. Bright, driven, and deeply empathetic, she’s redefining what it means to lead with wellness in the workplace. As the Wellness Specialist at Child Care Associates, Madison crafts employee-centered programs that support physical, emotional, and occupational health. And though she’s only a few years into her career, her impact is already making waves across her organization—and in the broader field of health education. When Moore first entered college, she envisioned a future in nursing. But like many in the health education field, her path took an unexpected, yet deeply ...
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Elevating Rural Health Systems through Innovation and Partnership: An Interview with Rosalinda Saucedo, MS, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 08-08-2025
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As a Certified Health Education Specialist and Program Manager for Rural Health at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Rosalinda Saucedo is leading the charge to expand pediatric care access in rural and underserved communities. With over 25 years in the field, Saucedo brings both lived experience and professional expertise to her work—developing innovative, scalable solutions that support children’s health where resources are limited but needs are great. Building Rural Capacity Through the ECHO Model For the past several years, she’s helped build the infrastructure and strategy behind the National Rural Adolescent and Child Health (NRACH) ...
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Bridging Systems and Access: A Conversation with Mehrete Girmay, PhD, MPH, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 07-25-2025
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Dr. Mehrete Girmay wears many hats in the field of public health—government project officer, educator, researcher, and mentor. With over a decade of experience, she has dedicated her career to improving behavioral health outcomes and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations. Her work focuses on ensuring that federally funded programs addressing substance use and mental health are not only compliant but effective and inclusive. As an adjunct professor, she also helps shape the next generation of public health professionals by translating policy and practice into the classroom. In this interview, Dr. Girmay shares her journey into the profession, the ...
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Meeting Patients Where They Are: Chrylann Barrett, MPH, BSN, RN, CHES®, on Listening, Learning, and Leading with Care

By Jessica Wessner posted 06-13-2025
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When patients receive a call from Chrylann Barrett, they may not expect a transformative conversation—but many of them get exactly that. As a Complex Care Manager and registered nurse at Codman Square Health Center in Massachusetts, Barrett brings a rare mix of clinical insight, public health strategy, and deep human empathy to her work. “I can’t fix everything,” she says, “but I can provide a safe space for someone to feel heard, validated, and supported. That’s where healing begins.” Barrett, a CHES® and MPH graduate, didn’t always imagine herself in this hybrid role. She became an RN just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly found herself ...
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Forging a Pathway to Resilience: An Interview with Savannah Gene, M.S., MCHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 05-29-2025
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When Savannah Gene, M.S., MCHES®, talks about her work, it’s immediately clear that community, culture, and accountability aren’t just priorities—they’re foundational to how she leads. As Program Director of the Community Health Education and Resiliency Program (CHERP) at the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, she oversees trauma-informed initiatives in STI/HIV prevention, substance use, positive youth development, and mental health across 27 tribal communities in New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and West Texas. “I serve as the program director for CHERP, and we provide person-centered capacity building,” Savannah explains. “Our team is committed to addressing ...
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Shaping Sustainable School-based Mental Health Systems: With Dr. Heidi Austin, MCHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 05-09-2025
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For more than two decades, Heidi Austin, EdD, EdS, MS, BS, MCHES®, CFLE, has been shaping school health education from the classroom to the state level. Today, as Project AWARE Director for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, she leads the charge in designing sustainable, school-based mental health systems that span six pilot districts and impact thousands of students. Project AWARE —short for Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education —is a federally funded initiative through SAMHSA that prioritizes awareness, training, and access to mental health services in schools. In her current role, Austin manages over $18 million in grant funding ...
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Empowering the Future of Public Health Leadership: An Interview with Dr. Garvita Thareja, PhD, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 04-25-2025
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For Dr. Garvita Thareja, supporting student success isn’t just part of the job—it’s the heart of her work. As an Associate Professor and Public Health Program Coordinator at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Garvita brings deep dedication to helping non-traditional undergraduate and graduate students succeed in the classroom and beyond. Whether she’s leading CHES® prep workshops, designing flexible course delivery models, or mentoring research projects, her mission is clear: make public health education accessible, equitable, and professionally rewarding. “My students are often working adults, parents, and first-generation college-goers balancing multiple ...
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Bridging Research and Advocacy: An Interview with Paris Pryor-Banks, M.Ed., NCPT, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 03-07-2025
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Paris Pryor-Banks did not begin her professional journey on a path to becoming a health education specialist. Sometimes, however, the right career calling finds you when you least expect it. But Paris recalls, “One thing changed the whole trajectory of how I felt about health education and promotion.” That one thing? A single health promotion class that opened her eyes to the power of structured, evidence-based education in improving community health. Now a Program Manager at Case Western Reserve University, Paris is deeply embedded in community-based research. She helps enroll participants in the DAWN study—a project focused on expanding genetic research related ...
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The Power of Social Marketing in Health Education: An Interview with Lisa Clough, MS, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 02-28-2025
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Effectively communicating health information is just as critical as the science behind it. Social marketing—the use of foundational marketing principles to influence health behaviors for social good—is a powerful tool in shaping public health initiatives. Recently, NCHEC staff sat down with Lisa Clough, MS, CHES®, a seasoned professional who has spent her career applying social marketing to the art and science of strategic health communication. An Improbable Journey In her thirty-plus year career span, Clough has worked with patient advocacy organizations, hospitals, and health professional groups to craft award-winning health communications campaigns. ...
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Building a Stronger Prevention Workforce: An Interview with Jen Morel, MPH, CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 12-06-2024
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Jen Morel, MPH, CHES®, currently serves as the Managing Director of the Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion and the President of Ohio SOPHE. With 20 years of experience in the field, Jen's journey from aspiring biologist to a leader in public health education has centered on systems change, partnership, and passion for improving community health. From pre-med to public health education Jen's path to public health education began in college, where she initially pursued a pre-med track. However, her interest soon shifted from treatment to prevention. "I started to really think about the impact I could have if I focused ...
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Shaping Wellness in the Workplace with Greta Watkins, MPH, MCHES®, NBC-HWC, R-YFT200, ACSM-EP, CPT, EIM, PAPHS, CIFT

By Jessica Wessner posted 11-22-2024
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Greta Watkins, a Lifestyle Coordinator for Wellness Campaigns at Aquila Onsite Health and Fitness Management , serves as a model of encouragement and inventive approaches within the governmental sector of health and wellness. Her role involves meticulous planning and execution, from conceptualizing campaigns inspired by events like the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to integrating themes of inclusivity and environmental sustainability. The role of a lifestyle coordinator As a Lifestyle Coordinator, Greta orchestrates comprehensive wellness campaigns that go beyond mere physical fitness to embrace the Eight Dimensions of Wellness. “In our wellness ...
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Spotlight on Sonita Simelus MD, DrPH(c), MPH, CHES®: A Journey from Clinical Medicine to Public Health Advocacy

By Jessica Wessner posted 10-11-2024
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Dr. Sonita Simelus has always been committed to improving health outcomes for individuals and communities – it’s what defines her as a professional. Her journey from clinical medicine to public health education speaks to the value and necessity of prevention, community engagement, and health equity. Now serving as an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri, Sonita brings her wealth of experience to the classroom and beyond, artfully shaping the future of public health education. From Physician to Public Health Advocate Sonita's career path to public health began in the Dominican Republic, where she earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from ...
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The Fall 2024 NCHEC News Bulletin: Hot off the Press

By Jessica Wessner posted 09-23-2024
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Read the latest CHES and MCHES news, interviews and updates HERE ! Topics: HESPA III update, CHES feature, NCHEC Provider Interview, Featured Employer
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Breaking Barriers in Public Health: The Inspiring Journey of Catherine Erosie Igben, MEd, PhD(c), CHES®

By Jessica Wessner posted 08-23-2024
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The professional journey of Catherine Igben, a Nigerian, is a story of resilience, initiative, and an unwavering passion for improving community health. Currently finalizing her PhD program in Public Health at Maseno University in Kenya, Catherine’s recent certification as a Certified Health Education Specialist has further solidified her expertise in the field. With a strong foundation in health education and an avid desire to address critical health issues, Catherine's innovative work in family planning using the Symptothermal Method (STM) as a strategy to ameliorate unmet need for family planning, underscores her commitment to empowering women and enhancing ...
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