Executive Director
8600 E. Rockcliff Road
Tucson, AZ
USA 85750
Email: Jennifer@canyonranchinstitute.org
Disclosure statement:
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Jennifer has spent over 20 years in positions dedicated to improving community and population health and wellness. She now leads strategic and operations functions as executive director for Canyon Ranch Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Canyon Ranch Institute catalyzes the possibility of optimal health for all people by translating the best practices of Canyon Ranch and our partners to help educate, inspire, and empower every person to prevent disease and choose a life of wellness.
Prior to joining Canyon Ranch Institute in 2007, Jennifer was vice president of scientific communications for Feinstein Kean Healthcare, where she started and led the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Jennifer previously served in the Office of the Surgeon General as communications director and speechwriter for Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. In that capacity, Jennifer was responsible for the development and implementation of health literacy and communication initiatives in partnership with health professionals, advocacy groups, policymakers, community leaders, and the public. Jennifer was awarded the Surgeon General's Medallion in 2005, which is the highest honor that the U.S. Surgeon General can confer. Jennifer also received the prestigious U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Honor Award for her role in developing the “U.S. Surgeon General's Family History Initiative.” In 2006, Jennifer was also awarded the National Institutes of Health Team Merit Award for her work on The Cancer Genome Atlas, a collaboration of the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Prior to joining the Office of the Surgeon General, Jennifer was the communications officer at the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where she communicated with research and clinical audiences about global public health issues. Before joining the National Institutes of Health, Jennifer led communications, wellness, and government relations for HealthNet Health Plan in the Pacific Northwest, and was the founder and publisher of Best of Health & Fitness, a successful national customized magazine for the health and fitness industry.
Today, Jennifer is a frequent speaker on topics related to public health policy and communication, and serves on the advisory board of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and Time to Talk CARDIO. Jennifer also enjoys writing about health and wellness for the general public, and her writing has been published in such diverse venues as the American Journal of Public Health, Good Housekeeping, the Journal for Minority Medical Students, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Scientific American. In 2008, she was co-editor of the National Call to Action on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship and the accompanying People’s Piece – Cancer: What It Means To You. Jennifer was a contributor to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease 2009 Almanac of Chronic Disease.
Jennifer was raised in South America, the Caribbean, and Texas. She earned a bachelor's degree at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and a master’s degree in public communication with an emphasis in health communication at American University in Washington, D.C.
Fluent in both English and Spanish, Jennifer enjoys traveling, playing with her two beagles, trying new gluten-free recipes, and stays fit by hiking and practicing Pilates.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.