Meet Our Speakers

Todd Bentsen

Director of Strategic Communications Initiatives

Science at the American Psychological Association

Todd Bentsen is the Director of Strategic Communications Initiatives for Science at the American Psychological Association. A communications leader specializing in health and science, his experience in research-oriented national organizations includes the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Society for Neuroscience, and American Society for Clinical Oncology. His skills span the communications gamut — with particular expertise in media relations — and he is passionate about conveying complex health and science information to public audiences. Bentsen holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Maryland.

Stacy Brooks

Director of Communications and Social Media

American Physiological Society

Stacy Brooks is Director of Communications and Social Media at the American Physiological Society (APS) where she oversees content development, media relations, social media, the APS website, the award-winning I Spy Physiology blog and overall communications outreach for the nearly 9,000 member association. She is also editor-in-chief of The Physiologist Magazine, a member-focused publication which relaunched in 2019. She devotes much of her time at work helping APS members—who are primarily biomedical researchers with PhDs—learn how to better communicate their research to the media, the general public and other researchers. Prior to her time at APS, Stacy worked in the Communications Office at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and at Ogilvy Public Relations.

Stacy received her degree in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising at Temple University in Philadelphia. She is a member of the board of Association Media and Publishing, currently serving on the Executive Committee in the role of Secretary. When not at work, you’ll find Stacy hanging out with her husband, two sons and extended family. She loves cooking, travel, flowers and a good workout—some of which she details on her blog.

Elizabeth Doughman

Editor

Poultry Future and WATT Poultry USA

Elizabeth Doughman is currently the Editor, Poultry Future and WATT PoultryUSA, where she spends her timing writing for print and online, creating promotional editorial and is in charge of all content related to two yearly conferences. She specializes in writing content related to new technologies and consumer trends — the chicken sandwich wars, alternative proteins, sustainability, gene editing, automation and robotics and anything that’s cool and new and next.

Prior to that, she spent 14 years covering the animal research industry for ALN Magazine.

Elizabeth has a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University. She loves her horse, Cherokee, and specializes in sharing weird science facts at cocktail parties.

Carol Haggans

Scientific and Health Communications Consultant

National Institutes of Health

Carol Haggans is a Scientific and Health Communications Consultant with the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health. In this role, she handles a variety of health communications activities including writing and updating the ODS dietary supplement fact sheets and the consumer-focused e-newsletter, The Scoop. She also leads the ODS public inquiry program, and researches and responds to questions from consumers, health professionals, and the media about dietary supplements. In addition, Carol is a member of the NIH Nutrition Education Subcommittee, a group that reviews federally developed nutrition education materials for the public to ensure that they are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Before becoming a consultant, Carol was a Program Analyst with ODS from 1999 to 2004. During that time, she coordinated the development and implementation of the CARDS database of federally funded research on dietary supplements and was involved with the design and maintenance of the ODS website. Carol is a member of the American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She received an M.S. in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota where she conducted clinical research on the effects of flaxseed consumption on estrogen metabolism and breast cancer risk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. She is also a Registered Dietitian. Prior to becoming a nutritionist, Carol worked in the information technology field as a manufacturing and technical service engineer after receiving a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Jessica Chiantella Henry

Digital Media Specialist

National Institutes of Health

Jesica Chiantella Henry has led public health and communications projects for more than 13 years at non-profits and government agencies. She loves weaving stories with health information to engage audiences on many different platforms. Currently, she is a Digital Communications Specialist at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health. She received a BA in theater from University of Maryland, and MA in communications from American University with a specialization in entertainment education research. Ms. Henry also served in the United States Peace Corps in El Salvador.

Bob Kuska

Science Writer

Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health

Bob Kuska is a Science Writer in the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health. He is also the the author of several books including Hot Potato: How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketballand Changed America’s Game Forever.

Amy Sheck

Dean of Science

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Amy Sheck is the dean of Science at the NC School of Science and Mathematics, a public residential high school for gifted and talented students from across the state. As dean, she supports a talented and dedicated faculty and oversees a hands-on science program at the Durham and Morganton campuses with a thriving research program, as well as a robust set of Online science courses. In addition, she coordinates two major initiatives: for the NC Science Festival, she leads Lean In, Women in Science, a panel interview of 6 prominent female scientists and she sponsors TEDxYouthNCSSM, a community conference to showcase ideas. She led the NC Student Academy of Science for nine years. She served as Biology coordinator for several years and enjoyed teaching biology as long as her administrative responsibiities would allow. She specialized in teaching ecology, genetics (molecular, classical, and population), and scientific research and was recognized with the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. These days she teaches a seminar on Science Communication (inspired by a workshop at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science) and a short course on the Science of Breadmaking. She supports students entering into science competitions and generally fosters the development of young scientists.

Prior to coming to NCSSM, she conducted research in the Entomology department of North Carolina State University and taught botany and entomology at the University of Asmara, Eritrea (East Africa). Her academic training is in the area of ecological genetics and evolutionary biology, particularly the interactions between pest insects and agricultural crop plants. Her doctoral dissertation earned from NC State University explored the genetic basis of host range in Heliothis virescens (a pest caterpillar). She earned a MS in Zoology from the University of Maryland and a BS in Natural Resources from the University of Michagan. In her spare time she enjoys long-distance hiking, travel, nature and gardening and baking sourdough bread.

Rasika Vartak

Molecular Biologist

Rasika Vartak, Ph.D., is a molecular biologist by training who stumbled into the amazing world of neuroscience five years ago. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, she worked at Stanford University and Arizona State University, trying to dissect the pathways that cause neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. She has published extensively in both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed journals. Throughout her career, Rasika has been extensively involved in mentoring high school and undergraduate students to learn the scientific process through hands-on experimentation and problem-solving. She strongly believes that learning how to communicate science is an integral part of being a scientist.

Todd Bentsen

Director of Strategic Communications Initiatives

Science at the American Psychological Association

Todd Bentsen is the Director of Strategic Communications Initiatives for Science at the American Psychological Association. A communications leader specializing in health and science, his experience in research-oriented national organizations includes the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Society for Neuroscience, and American Society for Clinical Oncology. His skills span the communications gamut — with particular expertise in media relations — and he is passionate about conveying complex health and science information to public audiences. Bentsen holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Maryland.

Stacy Brooks

Director of Communications and Social Media

American Physiological Society

Stacy Brooks is Director of Communications and Social Media at the American Physiological Society (APS) where she oversees content development, media relations, social media, the APS website, the award-winning I Spy Physiology blog and overall communications outreach for the nearly 9,000 member association. She is also editor-in-chief of The Physiologist Magazine, a member-focused publication which relaunched in 2019. She devotes much of her time at work helping APS members—who are primarily biomedical researchers with PhDs—learn how to better communicate their research to the media, the general public and other researchers. Prior to her time at APS, Stacy worked in the Communications Office at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and at Ogilvy Public Relations.

Stacy received her degree in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising at Temple University in Philadelphia. She is a member of the board of Association Media and Publishing, currently serving on the Executive Committee in the role of Secretary. When not at work, you’ll find Stacy hanging out with her husband, two sons and extended family. She loves cooking, travel, flowers and a good workout—some of which she details on her blog.

Elizabeth Doughman

Editor

AWATT Poultry USA and Poultry Future

For the last 13 years, Elizabeth Doughman has covered biomedical, veterinary and pharmaceutical research for ALN Magazine. She has written about everything from vivarium design to methods of improving laboratory animal welfare. Elizabeth has a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky and an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University. She loves her horse, Cherokee, and specializes in sharing weird science facts at cocktail parties.

Brooke Dulka

Associate Manager, Medical Writer and Science Communicator

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions

Brooke Dulka, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is an associate manager, medical writer, and science communicator at Cardinal Health Speciality Solutions. Here, she leads a team of writers/scientists as they strategize on content creation for summits, prepares newsletters covering recent research, and creates slide decks and data-driven reports for case insight programs and advisory boards. She also aids her team as they prepare abstracts, posters, and research papers using real-world data. As a manager and team leader, Brooke is committed to promoting diversity in communication, mentoring junior writers, protecting data integrity, and building awareness through education.

Prior to her career in medical writing, Brooke was a postdoctoral researcher who studied the link between aging, memory, and protein degradation within the brain. Before that, while I working on her doctorate, she studied resilience to traumatic stress and taught undergraduate courses in Research Methodology and Behavioral Neuroscience. In her free time, she enjoys reading fantasy and science fiction, drinking tea, and spending time with her dog.

Carol Haggans

Scientific and Health Communications Consultant

National Institutes of Health

Carol Haggans is a Scientific and Health Communications Consultant with the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health. In this role, she handles a variety of health communications activities including writing and updating the ODS dietary supplement fact sheets and the consumer-focused e-newsletter, The Scoop. She also leads the ODS public inquiry program, and researches and responds to questions from consumers, health professionals, and the media about dietary supplements. In addition, Carol is a member of the NIH Nutrition Education Subcommittee, a group that reviews federally developed nutrition education materials for the public to ensure that they are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Before becoming a consultant, Carol was a Program Analyst with ODS from 1999 to 2004. During that time, she coordinated the development and implementation of the CARDS database of federally funded research on dietary supplements and was involved with the design and maintenance of the ODS website. Carol is a member of the American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She received an M.S. in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota where she conducted clinical research on the effects of flaxseed consumption on estrogen metabolism and breast cancer risk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. She is also a Registered Dietitian. Prior to becoming a nutritionist, Carol worked in the information technology field as a manufacturing and technical service engineer after receiving a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Bob Kuska

Science Writer

Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health

Bob Kuska is a Science Writer in the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health. He is also the the author of several books including Hot Potato: How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketballand Changed America’s Game Forever.

Brandon Levy

Health Communications Specialist

National Institutes of Health

Brandon Levy is a Science Communications Editor for the Intramural Research Program (IRP) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he works to increase the IRP’s public profile, inform the public about IRP research, and attract scientists and students to work in IRP labs. He particularly enjoys writing about the cutting-edge research performed at NIH, but he also produces videos and content for social media. Before joining the IRP, Brandon worked as a science writer in the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and as a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellow in the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), spending his days putting people inside giant magnets and sending magnetic waves into their brains to shed light on the mysteries of learning and memory. He has a Master’s degree in Science Writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. degree in neuroscience from Duke University. He is also a member of the National Association of Science Writing and the D.C. Science Writers Association.

Ben Moldave

Lead Visual/UI Designer

Booz Allen Hamilton

Ben Moldave is a Creative Director with 18 years of experience across multiple industries, including Health Care, Real Estate, Video Games, Music, Hospitality, and the Federal Government. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from American University in 2004, and since then has worked at a number of creative agencies as a graphic designer, art director, creative director, and user experience/user interface lead. He has worked on and supervised the creation of websites, data visualizations, mobile apps, multi-channel consumer campaigns, photoshoots, and branding systems. His work has won multiple awards from The Art Directors Club, Hermes Creative Awards, and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He is passionate about making complicated medical information more accessible and understandable to the public, and creating experiences and content that is deeply meaningful to users and creates a material improvement in their day-to-day lives.

Katherine Moldave

Freelance Science and Technology Writer

Katherine (Cathy) Moldave has been a freelance science and technology writer; held several management positions at Merck AgVet and Merial Ltd.; cofounded the animal health consultancy and clinical CRO AlcheraBio LLC; and cofounded Turnstone Animal Health, a strategic communications and business-development support organization. She’s mentored Rutgers animal science grad students, served as a coach for companies presenting at the KC Animal Health Investment Forum, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs. She’s also involved in creating new opera. She has an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson, and, like cSw participants, a great deal of curiosity.

Lisa Newbern

Cheif of Public Affairs

Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Lisa Newbern is Chief, Public Affairs, for Yerkes National Primate Research Center (NPRC) at Emory University. In this role, she provides strategic counsel, develops measurable action plans and leads teams in executing communication programs that include executive messaging, issues and risk management, media relations, internal communication, community, educational and collaborative outreach, social media, online presence, government relations, special events, sponsorship opportunities, fundraising and historical archiving. She also leads the collaborative public relations initiatives for the seven NPRCs, including NPRC.org and @NPRCnews. Among her service activities, she is a board member for Americans for Medical Progress; a member of the Georgia Department of Education Division of Special Education State Advisory Panel and a mentor to students in Emory University’s Genetics Counseling Program.

Michael Newman

Senior Media Relations Representative

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Michael Newman is a seasoned science and medical communicator with 40-plus years of expertise in public affairs, journalism and broadcast media. Since 2019, he has served as senior media relations representative for five departments at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Richard Sima

Brain Matters Columnist

Washington Post

Neuroscientist turned science writer. Covers the life and environmental sciences for outlets like The New York Times, Scientific American, Discover, and Eos. Passionate about science and sharing its stories with the public and policymakers. Ph.D. in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree in neurobiology from Harvard College. Skilled in writing, editing, story-sleuthing, and specific types of brain electrophysiology.

Rasika Vartak

Molecular Biologist

Rasika Vartak, Ph.D., is a molecular biologist by training who stumbled into the amazing world of neuroscience five years ago. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, she worked at Stanford University and Arizona State University, trying to dissect the pathways that cause neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. She has published extensively in both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed journals. Throughout her career, Rasika has been extensively involved in mentoring high school and undergraduate students to learn the scientific process through hands-on experimentation and problem-solving. She strongly believes that learning how to communicate science is an integral part of being a scientist.