Empathy Affect

Latest Episodes:

S2E5: Inside FDA's 10-Year Campaign to Prevent Youth Tobacco Use Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

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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Dive into FDA's Tobacco Education Resource Library

S2E4: Motherhood + Modernization: USDS is Shaping Equitable Post-Natal Care Mar 07, 2024

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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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S2E1: Turning the Tides: Inside the EPA’s Fight to Combat Environmental Injustice Dec 07, 2023

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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

S1E13: Transforming Your Taxes: How New IRS Online Services Will Make Filing a Breeze Nov 02, 2023

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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

S1E12: How Your Workplace Can Support People in Recovery Oct 05, 2023

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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

S1E11: One Step at a Time: VA's Mission to Prevent Veteran Suicide Sep 07, 2023

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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 Prevention 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

S1E10, Pt. 2: From Mentee to Peer: Creating Diverse, Strong Government Leaders Through Mentorship Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

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.

S1E10, Pt. 1: Building a Better Federal Workforce: The Power of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

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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