RTI’s Dr. Brian Southwell joins CDC advisory workgroup to enhance public health communication strategies

Southwell will lend his expertise in communication, public understanding of science, and human behavior to help engage local communities

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK N.C. - Nonprofit research institute RTI International is pleased to announce that Brian Southwell,Ph.D., an expert in communication and human behavior, has been appointed to serve on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Advisory Committee to the Director's newly established Communications and Public Engagement Workgroup (CPEW).

The CPEW consists of a panel of professionals specializing in communication, public health science, community engagement and behavioral science. Southwell is one of 15 selected members. This collaborative effort aims to provide strategic guidance and recommendations to the CDC on effective public communication strategies with a focus on reaching local communities.

"Our public health agencies do important work to improve our health and wellbeing every day, just as individuals are doing their best to keep themselves and their families healthy," said Southwell, senior scientist at RTI. "By improving communication between public health professionals and the communities they serve, we can enhance trust in science and also help our society weather future threats."

Key focus areas for the CPEW include enhancing relationships with trusted messengers and improving risk communication and health protection messaging practices tailored to diverse audiences, including historically marginalized communities.

For more than 20 years, Southwell has applied his background in communication and human behavior to a variety of dilemmas including emerging infectious diseases and health disparities. He has written and edited numerous award-winning journal articles and books on topics such as popular perceptions of health, behaviors related to climate change and environmental conservation, and inaccurate information about science as a challenge for society. In addition to his position at RTI, Southwell is an adjunct professor of Internal Medicine with Duke University and is a faculty affiliate with the Duke Initiative for Science and Society.He also created and hosts a weekly public radio show for WNCU-FM, "The Measure of Everyday Life," which focuses on the intersections between social science and public life.

Get to know Dr. Southwell

Learn more about RTI's work in building and maintaining trust in science