The Society is pleased to announce our 2023 annual leadership positions. Selected from among our steering committee members, these individuals are helping the day-to-day work of advancing the Society and the field of health communication.

President: Michael Grela

Role: Lead the development and implementation of the Society’s long-term strategic plan; provide direction and oversight for the annual National Summit for Health Communication and is responsible for management and engagement of the Society’s Steering Committee.

About Michael:

Michael is a passionate and creative health communicator with more than 15 years’ experience working across sectors to create lasting impact in health. He currently oversees client engagements in global public health, corporate reputation, and social impact, serving as Evoke Kyne’s in-house social impact specialist. As part of his role, Michael is responsible for shaping the agency’s own reputation-driving initiatives including social impact and corporate giving strategies, goals, and programs. He also leads the agency’s Reputation team, which manages all Evoke Kyne communications, positioning/branding, awards, and publications, thought leadership, social media, and related employee engagement. Michael has experience working across many therapeutic areas including in Ebola, malaria, HIV/AIDS, oncology, hemophilia, and tobacco control. During his tenure at Evoke Kyne he has overseen engagements in the U.S., Africa, and globally, including work with the CDC Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation the United Nations Foundation and The Pfizer Foundation.

Vice President: Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD

Role: Help implement the Society’s strategic plan including revenue growth, direction and oversight of Society webinars, and planning and execution of annual the National Summit for Health Communication. 

About Ashani:

Ashani is an award-winning social scientist with expertise in inclusive and equitable research, including culturally responsive evaluation. She blends her academic background in political science with +20 years working in public health, health communication and social marketing. She is a Senior Fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago, serves on the Board of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, and is Strategic Advisor for the Bright Pink Venture Philanthropy Fund. Ashani previously directed Public Policy Research for McDonald’s Government Public Policy and Government Relations Center of Excellence and served as Director of its Global Communication Performance & Intelligence Team. Prior to that she was a Principal Scientist in the Public Health Division at NORC at the University of Chicago, served on NORC Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion committee, and was a Technical Director and Health Communication Domain Expert at ICF. She has directed marketing, communication and/or health studies on topics including sustainable waste and packaging, corporate reputation, gender pay equality, brand trust, perceptions of COVID-19 mitigation practices, COVID-19 and emotional/mental health, HIV/AIDS, prenatal maternal health, breast feeding, opioid use/misuse, antibiotic resistance, breast cancer, emergency preparedness, and brain health for organizations including CDC, NAACP, Gilead and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Member-at-Large: Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHES

Role: Lead Society organizational member recruitment and engagement activities including oversight and engagement of the Advisory Board. She also serves as strategic partner to the Executive Leadership team and helps facilitate thought leadership webinars and events. 

About Stacy:

Stacy is the President and Co-Founder of CommunicateHealth. 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 age 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. Stacy is a founding member of the Society and previously served in roles on its Steering Committee and Advisory Board.