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Although the United States has made great strides in reducing tobacco-related disparities, commercial tobacco use is still the leading cause of today’s biggest health challenges.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) has been leading tobacco prevention, cessation, and control. The office's director joins us to discuss the progress the team has made in decreasing tobacco use, as well as the challenges and work ahead.
While CDC has found that smoking and e-cigarette use are down, new nicotine products threaten progress. OSH works to protect future generations by addressing these evolving threats to reduce preventable tobacco-related death and disease in the United States.
Dr. Deirdre Lawrence Kittner is the director of OSH. She has more than 20 years of public health experience, with a focus on global tobacco control, tobacco and health behavior science, and preventative policy development. Previously, she worked at the National Cancer Institute and served as deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products' Office of Science.
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Read the new Surgeon General report on prevention and control strategies to reduce tobacco-related disparities.
Find resources to help quit smoking.
Explore the Empower Vape-Free Youth and Tips From Former Smokers campaigns.
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The 2024 election season brings fresh and complex challenges to election systems across the country—from mis- and disinformation to threats to security. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) serves as a federal election hub, providing resources, training, grants, and support to our state and local election administrators, helping them prepare for this election so that voters can cast their ballots with confidence. For our Season 2 finale, EAC Commissioner and current Chairman Ben Hovland discusses the hard work that’s gone into developing secure, resilient election administration and systems. So, whether you’ve voted early or plan to vote on Election Day, tune in to discover how the EAC is ensuring every vote counts!
Ben Hovland is a commissioner and the current chairman of the EAC. He has served as co-chair of the Election Infrastructure Subsector's Government Coordinating Council and chair of the Joint Subsector COVID-19 Working Group, coordinating pandemic response among state and local election officials, federal partners, and the private sector. His career in elections spans over 20 years, including as acting chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and deputy general counsel for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office.
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Visit vote.gov or helpamericavote.gov to plan to vote or learn to become a poll worker
Discover video guides for voting and more about how the EAC is building election readiness -
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Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women behind skin cancer, with approximately 13.1% of women estimated to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is pioneering research to understand how we can better prevent breast cancer and promote risk reduction. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, NCI Division of Cancer Prevention Breast and Gynecological Cancer Research Chief Dr. Brandy Heckman-Stoddard about cutting-edge solutions in cancer prevention and how you can talk to your family and doctors to stay ahead in protecting your health.
Dr. Brandy Heckman-Stoddard has led the Breast and Gynecological Cancer Research Group in NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention for 6 years. She is also currently the acting chief of the division's community oncology and prevention trials and is the project scientist for breast cancer and uterine cancer for the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network. She has been with NCI since serving as a cancer prevention fellow in 2009.
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Explore NCI's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
Learn more about breast cancer on NCI's website
Learn about mammograms and recommendations for screening
Explore oncological clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCORP, and NCI's other programs.
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The federal government is the United States’ biggest employer, with more than 2.1 million Service members and over 2 million civilian employees. Behind those millions of professionals, federal human capital leaders provide resources, benefits, programs, and growth opportunities to uplift our civil servants, so they can uplift our country. In this episode, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. House of Representatives to learn how these institutions approach public service recruitment, initiatives to ensure federal employees grow and succeed, and more.
Traci DiMartini is the Chief Human Capital Officer at the IRS. She has previously served as the Chief Human Capital Officer of the General Services Administration, Peace Corps, and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
John Salamone has served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at the U.S. House of Representatives for the last 8 years. He has previously consulted in human capital, was executive director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Chief Human Capital Officers Council and served as a staff member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management.
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Search for career opportunities on USAJOBS
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s policies have been key to keeping our country's people and environment healthy and safe. The agency's Office of Policy has been hard at work with some new updates though, taking new steps to strengthen climate adaptation, resilience, and emission reductions. Office of Policy Associate Administrator Vicki Arroyo walks us through these updates, as well as how her and her family's first-hand experiences with environmental disasters have informed how she approaches her work.
Vicki Arroyo is the associate administrator of EPA's Office of Policy. She also oversaw environmental justice work at the agency from January 2021 to September 2022. She has served as the executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center and was also a professor at Georgetown Law and director of the Environmental Law and Policy Program. Earlier in her career, she created and directed the Louisiana Department of Quality's policy office.
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Explore more of the Office of Policy's work
Learn more about EPA's climate adaptation planning
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The warming climate is having an impact on our health, both physically and mentally. So, what do we need to do to protect our health and the planet's wellbeing? The Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication (Mason 4C) are each doing their part to understand and address climate change and health at their crossroads. We speak with OCCHE Director Dr. John Balbus and Mason 4C Director Dr. Ed Maibach to understand how they're rallying government agencies and the health sector to mobilize on climate action and help us keep our health resilient to a changing climate.
Dr. John Balbus is the director of OCCHE. He is a physician and public health professional with over 25 years of experience working on the health implications of climate change. He has served as HHS principal to the US Global Change Research Program and co-chair of the working group on Climate Change and Human Health for the US Global Change Research program. He was also senior advisor for public health to the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Dr. Ed Maibach is the director of the Mason 4C and distinguished university professor at George Mason University. He has previously served as associate director of the National Cancer Institute and worldwide director of social marketing at Porter Novelli. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Climate and Health Alliance.
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Learn more about OCCHE
View more about the Mason 4C
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For the last 8 years, Dr. Joshua Gordon has served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)—the leading federal agency in mental health research. Next week, Dr. Gordon will depart NIMH and continue the next step of his career at Columbia University. As he wraps up his tenure, we sit down with Dr. Gordon to talk about the arc of progress in mental health research, how NIMH is translating evidence-based solutions to the treatment setting, and what's next for the director as he departs the institute.
Dr. Joshua Gordon has served as the director of NIMH since 2016. Prior to joining NIMH, he served as an associate professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and as a research psychiatrist at New York State Psychiatric Institute.
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Read about Dr. Gordon's legacy
Learn more about NIMH's research
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The 2019 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act—or Evidence Act—aims to improve federal programs applying data, evidence, and evaluations in decision-making. Five years later, how are agencies meeting the requirements of the legislation, and how has the act improved how our government accomplishes its mission? We explore these questions looking into evidence and evaluations at one agency, the Department of Health and Human Services with its evaluation officer, Dr. Susan Jenkins.
Dr. Susan Jenkins is the HHS evaluation officer and director of the agency's Division of Evidence, Evaluation, and Policy in the Office of Science and Data Policy. She is also a member of Federal Interagency Council on Evaluation Policy. Susan previously served as director of the Administration for Community Living's Office of Performance and Evaluation and served on detail with the Office of Management and Budget's Evidence Team.
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Dive into HHS's FY25 Evaluation Plan
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) longest-running tobacco public education campaign, The Real Cost, is marking its 10th anniversary this year. The campaign aims to prevent youth from using tobacco through powerful messaging and real-life stories, but how has The Real Cost remained relevant as the media landscape, young people, and the market of tobacco products all evolved rapidly? In this episode of Empathy Affect, we explore these questions and dive into the methods and public health impact of The Real Cost.
April Brubach is the acting director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products' (CTP) Office of Health Communications and Education (OHCE) and has worked at CTP since 2010. She joined CTP in 2010, working across a portfolio of tobacco prevention campaigns, education initiatives, and communication science and policy. She has previously built and managed the Health and Human Services' COVID-19 Public Education Campaign, and she has served as deputy for FDA's COVID-19 Joint Information Cell and communication program manager at the National Cancer Institute.
Merrybelle Guo is a social scientist at FDA CTP's OCHE. She has also served as a health communications specialist at CTP and a digital communications fellow at the Office of the Surgeon General.
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Learn more about The Real Cost campaign
Dive into FDA's Tobacco Education Resource Library -
For many mothers, the immediate postnatal period is a vulnerable one, often filled with financial, social, physical, and mental challenges while caring for a young child. Our federal government is working to provide better resources and services to support women through early motherhood, and U.S. Digital Service (USDS) is stepping up with solutions to make it easier, equitable, and more effective. Our guest, Birth of a Child Portfolio Lead Maya Mechenbier, became a mother shortly before leading these efforts at USDS, grounding the work USDS does for federal agencies with her own journey raising two daughters. Learn how she and her team are helping agencies provide supply kits for mothers, peer navigation resources, and text-based notifications to help mothers apply for federal aid. All of this comes together with technology, UX design, rigorous evaluation, and the personal touch of lived experience.
Maya Mechenbier is a project lead and product counsel at USDS and Birth of a Child portfolio lead at the Office of Management and Budget, leading projects including the Peer Navigator Service, Newborn Supply Kit, and Notify for Families. Maya is in her second tour with USDS after serving with USDS's Quality Payment Program team at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in 2016 and with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at the White House in 2015. She has also served in career roles at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
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Read up on our government's progress supporting mothers through early childhood
Get a deeper dive on the Newborn Supply Kit
Learn more about USDS's work
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As adults age, many retire, become empty nesters, and are trying to figure out their next chapter in life. AmeriCorps Seniors has helped 140,000 people discover that next chapter through volunteer opportunities across the country. Learn more about how AmeriCorps has created pathways for older adults to serve and connect with their community. We chat with AmeriCorps Seniors Director Atalaya Sergi to learn how volunteering has transformed lives and how you can get yourself or loved ones on a journey that discovers purpose in service.
Atalaya Sergi is the director of AmeriCorps Seniors. She has more than 20 years of experience in service, education, and community engagement. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, she served as vice president of strategic partnerships and programming at Jumpstart for Young Children, managing AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs as a federal grantee.
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Discover volunteer opportunities through AmeriCorps Seniors Pathfinder
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It’s the start of a presidential election year. Caucuses and primaries are approaching, and the country is readying to vote. We are taking on elections and speaking with former senior election security advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Kim Wyman about combatting mis- and disinformation to restore the public’s faith in our elections.
Kim Wyman previously served as Secretary of State of Washington and senior election security advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). She was also Thurston County’s elections director for nearly a decade and served three terms as the Thurston County Auditor between 2001 and 2013. Today, she is Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
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Learn more about your election from your Secretary of State
Register to vote, check your voter registration status, and answer your voting questions here
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The Inflation Reduction Act provided a historic amount of funding and opportunity for the federal government to make meaningful investments in environmental justice programs across the government. As we enter season 2 of Empathy Affect, we're joined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice Matthew Tejada to learn how the legislation is enhancing over 30 years of work that his agency has done in environmental justice and how environmental justice is becoming an all-of-government endeavor.
Matthew Tejada has directed the EPA's environmental justice work for over a decade. Before joining the EPA, he was executive director of an environmental justice advocacy organization called Air Alliance Houston.
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Learn more about EPA EJ technical assistance centers
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) received about $80 billion in additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to make sweeping improvements—including how taxpayers interact with the agency. The IRS's Office of Online Services (OLS) has a big role to play in transforming the taxpayer experience as people increasingly opt to file digitally. On this episode of Fors Marsh Media's Empathy Affect, OLS Director Karen Howard and User Experience Services Director April Harding share how the IRS is using funding and strategy derived from the IRA to increase accessibility and transparency across its taxpayer services.
Karen Howard is the director of the IRS's OLS. She joined the IRS in 2020 after holding positions with companies like LPL Financial and the Renfro Corporation.
April Harding is the director of user experience services within OLS. She joined the IRS in 2023 after serving as a digital consultant, co-founder of Wellspring ID, and digital director at Stratacomm.
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Read up on the IRS Inflation Reduction Act Strategic Operating Plan
See if you qualify for tax credits and deductions
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The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in the Executive Office of the President is coordinating with other federal agencies to release a Recovery-Ready Workplace Toolkit that can guide organizations big and small toward helping people suffering with substance use disorder on their paths to recovery. In this episode, ONDCP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Gaumond gives us a sneak peek into the toolkit, some best practices and examples of successful workplace recovery initiatives, and how companies and employees can both benefit from adopting recovery programs and policies.
Peter Gaumond is a senior policy analyst at ONDCP. He has over 30 years of experience in substance use disorder treatment and recovery and helped develop the National Drug Control Policy. He has also served as ONDCP's Chief of the Recovery Brand and has held positions at the Altarum Institute, Abt Associates, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and Illinois Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
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Find the upcoming toolkit in the Recovery-Ready Workforce Hub
Talk with someone through 988
Check out FindTreatment.gov and Find Support
Find other support groups here
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Suicide has been a rising public health crisis in America, and veterans are some who are at the highest risk. In honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month this September, we're joined by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Director of Suicide Prevention, Dr. Matthew Miller, to learn about how the VA is supporting veterans, caregivers, and families to prevent suicide and promote mental health and recovery. We also get into the challenges around suicide prevention and what we need to do to move forward together.
Dr. Matthew Miller is the National Director for Suicide at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has previously served as Director of the Veterans Crisis Line and Chief of Mental Health at Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
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VA.gov/REACH
Reach the Veterans Crisis Line
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In part 2 of our episode on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce, we get personal and chat about the roles of mentorship and sponsorship in raising diverse leadership across the government. Our guests, National Science Foundation (NSF) Chief of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Charles "Chuck" Barber and Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) Chief of Diversity and Equal Opportunity Dr. Theresa Horne, talk about their mentor-mentee relationship and how fostering more professional relationships through mentorship can help people rise in their careers.
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The United States is a diverse nation, and the federal government needs to reflect the faces and minds of the country to deliver its best services. In part one of this month’s Empathy Affect, we dive into the broad strokes the federal government is taking to integrate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) across its workforce. Our guest in this episode, Office of Personnel and Management’s (OPM) Office of DEIA Director Dr. Janice Underwood, walks us through these efforts and the White House’s executive order to strengthen the federal workforce with DEIA.
Dr. Janice Underwood is the director of OPM's Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. She was formerly the first chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Internet connectivity has become a necessity in our lives, but many in America lack quality, affordable, high-speed internet access. To bridge the digital divide, the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Digital Equity Act, which allocated funding to establish grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is helming the efforts behind the legislation, so we spoke with NTIA's Digital Equity Director, Angela Thi Bennett, about the journey to promoting equitable access to the internet across the country.
Angela Thi Bennett serves as NTIA's first-ever digital equity director, where she provides leadership and guidance around the Digital Equity Act. She was previously a champion of digital inclusion in Cleveland, Ohio, through organizations such as DigitalC. -
Welcome back for part 2 of our discussion on the National Institute's of Health HEALing Communities Study—a bold research effort that looks to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths across highly impacted communities by 40% over three years. Continuing the conversation from Part 1, we look to understand the progress the study has made to date, how the study's researchers have worked alongside their participating communities to adapt to the rapidly evolving drug landscape, and how the country can continue addressing the crisis.
Dr. Redonna Chandler is the HEALing Community Study Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She has been at NIDA since 2002, serving in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership across the institute.
Dr. Ynvild Olsen is Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). She has previously worked in substance use treatment with Baltimore City and served as Deputy Health Officer for Maryland's Harford City Health Department.
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