Meet the team.
- Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHESPresident, Co-founder
A self-proclaimed health literacy geek and an expert in clear communication, Stacy is responsible for leading CommunicateHealth’s content and creative excellence. Since co-founding the company at the age of 30, Stacy has been recognized as an innovative business leader by the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Healthcare News, among other media outlets, discussing a variety of issues from entrepreneurship to health behavior change. - Xanthi Scrimgeour, MHEd, MCHESChief Executive Officer, Co-founder
Since co-founding CommunicateHealth in 2009, Xanthi has been driving company strategy and operations, transforming the organization into a nationally recognized multimillion-dollar consulting firm. Under her leadership, CommunicateHealth has been recognized as one of the fastest growing companies by Entrepreneur and Inc. magazines 3 years in a row. A veteran public health advocate, Xanthi spent 20+ years working on the front lines with state and local health agencies. She draws on this experience to serve a diverse client portfolio that spans Fortune 500 companies and community-based nonprofits. - Sandy Williams Hilfiker, MAChief Experience Officer, Principal
Sandy joined CommunicateHealth as Principal in 2010, bringing nearly two decades of experience in interactive design for health, usability and message testing, and all types of user research. Sandy is a leading expert in engaging people with limited literacy skills in the user-centered design process. She directs CommunicateHealth’s stellar UX team, delivering value to clients like the CDC, NIH, and the Veterans Health Administration — and simplifying the user experience for millions of healthcare consumers. - Adam MoormanCreative Director
Adam is a skilled visual communicator, and he takes pride in his graphic versatility. In his travels he has encountered and conquered: digital (web, email, user interface), branding and identity, traditional print, and design education. Adam’s goal is to provide our clients with a clean, clear, and precise design. Like most of his colleagues, he divides his time between CommunicateHealth’s visual and experience design teams. - Alana JohnsonHealth Communication Manager
Alana is a driven community health advocate with a passion for health communication. When she's not coordinating multiple projects and ensuring clear communication across teams, you'll usually find her writing tweets using the latest health-related #hashtags. - Aleah Goldin, MA, MFAResearch Assistant
Aleah pitches in on everything from research and cross-project support to plain language writing. Her varied interests have taken her all over the world — from medical anthropology research to goat-herding in rural Mongolia! We’re thrilled that she’s bringing her passion for global health and her infectious enthusiasm to the CommunicateHealth team. - Ayanna WilliamsCommunication Associate I
Ayanna is a skilled project coordinator who uses her outstanding logistical skills on everything from monthly reports to research recruitment. She’s also a talented Drupal coder with impeccable attention to detail. (What a rock star!) When she’s not chatting about public health, you can catch her bragging about her alma mater — Syracuse University. Go Orange! - Beth Pellettieri, MPHHealth Communication Manager
Beth is an accomplished project manager with a background in maternal and child health. She’s adept at wrangling large, complex federal contracts, from website redesigns to content development and maintenance. Her superpower? Leading interdisciplinary teams that produce high-quality health communication products — on time and in budget. - Blythe Miller, MPHSenior Editor
Blythe is a gifted health writer and editor (and resident Deadhead) who transforms complicated medical information into original, plain language content. She specializes in sexual health, and her friendly tone and conversational style make this tricky health topic a lot more approachable. - Corinne Berry, MAResearch Director
Corinne is a brilliant health communicator — and a total research geek. With more than a decade of experience in communication consulting, mixed-methods research, and intervention design, she always has her target audience in mind. She's a go-to moderator and skilled research strategist who brings a bit of sunshine to every project.
- David PearlDesign Associate
David is a creative thinker with a knack for designing intuitive user interfaces and engaging infographics. Drawing on his experience developing health tech innovations in refugee communities, he always keeps his end user’s needs in mind. In his spare time, you can find him pitching his next app ideas at health hackathons. - Dena Fisher, MPHSenior Health Communication Manager
Dena is a skilled project manager with 18 years of experience in health communication and social marketing. She leads interdisciplinary teams through every aspect of communication planning, from research and strategy to product development and community engagement. Dena is a passionate advocate for public health — and just the woman you want at the helm of your next communication campaign. - Elise McCabeWeb and Graphic Designer
Elise is an innovative visual problem solver with a passion for getting to the root of an issue. The user and the bigger picture drive the holistic design solutions she crafts for clients. She is enthusiastic about being a lifelong learner and employing a less is more approach to design (and life). - Emily Brostek, MPH, CHESHealth Communication Manager
Emily is a skilled project manager with 10+ years of experience in health education, patient advocacy, and health policy. She leads multidisciplinary teams through complex projects and ensures client requirements are aligned with user needs — all while keeping budgets and timelines on track. Emily is committed to empowering people with the information they need to care for their health. - Fred Van Geloven, MSUser Experience Designer
Fred is a seasoned user experience designer, a creative thinker, and a problem solver. He takes pride in delivering accessible interfaces that are fun to use. Fred has played a variety of roles on digital design projects of all sizes throughout his career. These experiences, combined with his background in communication, make him an indispensable member of the team. - CH Alumn
- Janel Schuh, PhDSenior Health Communication Researcher
Janel is a highly skilled quantitative and qualitative researcher who is endlessly curious about health communication. With more than a dozen years of applied research and strategic communication experience, she helps clients create — and validate — communication-based solutions to challenging health issues. Janel loves interacting with people from all backgrounds and working with them to improve their health. - Jason MorrisWeb Developer II
Jason is a front-end developer who prides himself on creating clean, responsive, intuitive websites. While he accepts (and even embraces) the constantly changing landscape of web development, he always stays focused on the essentials — keeping sites fast and accessible for all users on an increasing variety of devices. - Jeff Lee, MSWeb Developer I
Jeff provides essential back-end application development and database support for our products — the behind-the-scenes work that users rely on, even when they don’t know it. Jeff is devoted to meeting industry best practices and increasing efficiency in our work — and happy to be part of a team advancing public health. - Jenna Paulsen, MFAOperations Specialist
Jenna is a seasoned administrative professional with a background in art and design. She wears many hats — whether she’s designing for print or web, planning events, solving IT issues, or just keeping staff on track, Jenna is there to help with a smile. - Jocelyn CozzoWeb Developer I
Jocelyn champions progressive enhancement and builds websites that are simple, elegant, and accessible across devices. She takes advantage of the latest features to enrich the user experience whenever possible. We’re pretty sure she dreams in code. - Kat Good-Schiff, MFASenior Editor
A technical writer and a poet, Kat applies best practices of health literacy, health education, and plain language to content development and maintenance for federal, private, and nonprofit clients. Whether it’s a series of fact sheets or hundreds of pages of web content, she’s always looking for editorial consistency and alignment with content strategy. - Katie CheungHealth Communication Manager
Katie’s dedication to the principles of public health makes her a fantastic asset to our team — as does her experience in community-based research, data analytics, and health writing. She supports content and research projects to make sure things run smoothly and the end product exceeds user (and client!) expectations. - Katrina Lanahan, MPHSenior Health Communication Manager
Katrina synthesizes user research findings and health behavior theory to create clear, actionable content. Her passion is creating that aha moment when a reader thinks, “I can do that!” Katrina has a background in research, program management, and curriculum development. - Kelsey JordanCommunication Associate II
Kelsey assists the team with health writing, health research, usability testing... and just about everything else. Her studies in public health, gender theory, and Spanish fuel her passion for empowering vulnerable populations to make healthy decisions. - Kim Smith, CHESHealth Communication Manager
Kim’s our resident social butterfly, leading our social media and digital outreach activities with a smile. She’s always looking for new ways to leverage the power of social media to start conversations about health. When she's not looking for the next big #PubHealth hashtag, Kim also crafts clear, compelling plain language health content for consumer and professional audiences. - Laura Willwerth, MA, MFAHealth Writer II
Laura is a talented plain language writer who enjoys turning complicated health information into approachable, friendly content. With a background in creative writing and teaching, she approaches all her projects with a focus on clear communication and actionable messages. - Lizzie Barnett, ScDSenior Health Communication Researcher
Lizzie is a Harvard-trained researcher and seasoned public health professional on a mission to create healthier communities. She excels at leading health promotion research initiatives, from developing measurement tools and mixed methods protocols to synthesizing and translating research findings. If you think she looks serious, it’s because tackling big public health issues is no laughing matter. - Luisa RamirezCommunication Associate I
Luisa is passionate about using health education to empower people to make healthy choices. With a background in global health, she has experience working on health campaigns with diverse populations. At CommunicateHealth, Luisa helps our project teams stay organized by coordinating tasks and facilitating communication among team members. - Mareika PhillipsGraphic Designer II
Mareika is an accomplished design professional with diverse experience — ranging from hand-drawn typography and illustration to web and user experience design. Her visual solutions are always innovative — a reflection of her passion for aesthetics balanced with sharp strategic insight. - Margaret YoungbergOperations Specialist
Margaret is at home keeping as many administrative plates spinning as possible. We think it may have something to do with her background in physics and music… She’ll happily fix your internet connection while answering the phone, getting invoices out the door, and explaining how an FSA works (again). - Matt AllenTechnology Director
Matt leads our stellar team of front- and back-end developers. He's passionate about user-centered design and emerging trends in web and mobile technologies. Matt draws on his experience in web development and accessibility standards to create clean, intuitive websites that make his clients (and us) happy. - Megan Lewis Freedman, MA, MCHESProject Director
Megan is our leading content strategist and a veteran CommunicateHealth team member. She directs the development, maintenance, and subject matter expert review of several award-winning federal government websites. Megan also writes, edits, and evaluates plain language print and web content. - Michael Mercurio, MFAExecutive Assistant
Michael provides executive support for our CEO, bringing to bear experience honed through years of working in higher education. Beneath his exterior of calm professionalism beats the heart of someone who enjoys talking through processes and organizing information — that, combined with his writer’s ear for language, makes Michael well suited for his role. - Michael Godin, MSWeb Developer I
Mike’s responsible for transforming CommunicateHealth’s original ideas and designs into accessible, high-performance applications for the web. He’s worked in government, industry, and non-profit realms on topics ranging from environmental risk management to underwater robotics. - Ochen Kaylan, JDSenior Web Developer
Ochen is a key player in back-end development — the magic that makes our websites and online tools tick. While he’s worked in web development and design for over 15 years, his resume is also dazzling in its variety. Ochen has professional experience in many fields, including design, journalism, and law. - Rachel Pryzby, MPH, CHESProject Director
Rachel believes that health information can be beautiful — and fun! At CommunicateHealth, she leads talented interdisciplinary teams towards that goal, through creative strategy, precise planning, and a dash of good humor. You can usually find Rachel writing content, leading brainstorm sessions, managing budgets, or geeking out about the latest public health research. - Rachel Oziel, MPHCommunication Associate II
Rachel is passionate about building healthier communities by creating health information that people can understand and use. When she’s not assisting the team with project management and research tasks, you can find her at community photo shoots for CommunicateHealth's new stock image website, Picture Public Health. - Rebecca WrightContent Strategist
Rebecca believes that everyone has the right to health information they can understand. With a thoughtful approach grounded in user-centered design and health literacy best practices, she creates clear, engaging plain language health materials that are accessible to low-literacy audiences — and a pleasure to read for everyone else. - Sami Cohen, MPHHealth Communication Manager
With joie de vivre, Sami provides cross-project support with her sharp plain language writing skills and keen sense of the research process. Her passion for public health policy and social justice shines through in her work. - Sarah Pomerantz, MPH, CPHProject Director
Sarah is passionate about environmental justice. And it’s a good thing, because she directs our environmental health work. It’s Sarah’s job to oversee the research, design, and development of stellar communication products — for professionals and the public. She’s also a data nerd, lending her expertise to national initiatives like DATA2020. - Sarah Nagaratnam, MPHUser Experience Designer I
Sarah has a background in both public health and design, and she applies her interdisciplinary skills to create health communication tools and websites that excel in both form and function. Her goal on every project is to create something that audiences will not just learn from, but genuinely enjoy using. - Sean Arayasirikul, MSPH, PhD, CHESSenior Health Communication Researcher
Sean is a social and behavioral researcher who studies how racial, ethnic, and other minority populations make complex decisions about their health care. He’s committed to a “high-touch, high-tech” approach to our websites and digital tools — creating cutting-edge tech that’s approachable and empowering. - Stacy Allen, MSHealth Communication Manager
Stacy is a skilled project manager and usability researcher. She is dedicated to making public health resources accessible to everyone, particularly to underserved populations. As a content manager at CommunicateHealth, she oversees the development of the Spanish-language content for healthfinder.gov and contributes to several usability research efforts. - Vicki ChapmanWeb Developer I
With more than 15 years of experience in front-end web development, Vicki is well-versed in modern technologies and web standards, including responsive design best practices. Her background in art gives her a keen visual eye and helps her create websites that are attractive, user-friendly, and accessible. - We ♥ Health Literacy
Like what you just read? Sign up for We ❤ Health Literacy and get our weekly email full of practical health literacy tips and tricks delivered straight to your inbox. - Whitney Marmer, MPHCommunication Associate II
With a background in community outreach and program planning, Whitney is a health communication all-star. In addition to coordinating teams and projects, she develops strategic social media and outreach plans that get the right messages to the right audiences at the right time. You can always find her working with an iced coffee in hand — even in the winter!
Meet our partners.
Janna R. White
Janna creates stylish, accessible, and grammatically correct content that any reader will appreciate. She is the founder of Janna R. White Content and Editing, the co-editor of a book on contemplative science forthcoming with Yale University Press, and a total word nerd. She’s our resident copyeditor in shining armor.
Noah Smith
Noah Smith co-founded Common Media in 2007 after completing a Master’s degree in Computer Science at Tufts University. Since then, Noah has built Common Media into an award-winning web development firm. Noah’s primary responsibilities are business development, solutions architecture, and company-wide technical direction.
Kelly McManus
Kelly is an uber-talented graphic designer with over 20 years of experience — and we're stoked to have her on our team. Clients dig Kelly's uncanny ability to develop brand identities that capture the essence of an organization or issue. And we dig her laid-back style and boundless creative energy.
Morgan Griffin
Morgan has spent his career in health communication, most recently as a content guru at CH, and before that as reporter and editor with WebMD. His ongoing mission: to root out baffling medical jargon wherever he can and to create guidance that’s both compassionate and clear.
