Stephanie M. Morrison

In this role, I led a team that created clear, accurate health content for older adults. We reached millions of people each year with critical information about healthy aging and age-related diseases.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Directed NIA’s health information program, overseeing strategy, content development, evaluation, and distribution of materials reaching over 25 million online users and 1 million print recipients annually.

• Managed a multidisciplinary team of writers and editors, ensuring that public-facing health content in English and Spanish was reliable, understandable, and audience-focused—while fostering a collaborative and supportive team culture.

• Streamlined NIA’s print program, implementing a full audit that resulted in cost savings, smarter use of materials, and a more focused suite of high-demand resources aligned with public needs.

• Established data-informed content priorities using web analytics, research insights, and agency goals to guide the creation, revision, and retirement of health materials across multiple platforms.

• Oversaw end-to-end editorial workflows, managing timelines, coordinating with contractors and leadership, and ensuring scientific clearance and brand alignment of all materials.

• Maintained and enhanced the agency's style guide, providing agency-wide editorial guidance and supporting consistency and trustworthiness across all internal and external communications.

• Represented NIA in NIH-wide communications strategy efforts, helping shape long-term priorities as part of the NIH Strategic Communications Plan Working Group.

In this role, I led the creation and review of health information for older adults, overseeing the full editorial process for online fact sheets, feature articles, infographics, and print publications.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Shaped NIA’s content strategy using audience data, coordinating a health literacy audit to support health equity and prioritizing updates based on analytics, public inquiries, and evolving agency goals.

• Provided leadership in editorial policy and best practices, helping maintain the NIA Style Guide, reviewing content for accuracy and tone, and advising other teams on improving health information across channels.

• Led a community of more than 200 federal communicators, organizing the NIH Consumer Health Content Community of Practice by curating topics, recruiting speakers, ensuring accessibility, and maintaining an active Teams space and listserv.

• Delivered high-impact presentations, including a well-received talk at the 2022 Federal Plain Language Summit on incorporating expert feedback, and a MedWrite Talk at the 2023 AMWA Conference on avoiding ageism in medical writing.

• Represented NIA on interagency working groups focused on health literacy and science communication, helping align federal messaging efforts and strengthen partnerships.

• Mentored and trained early-career professionals, serving as a formal mentor for an NIH intern and leading internal workshops for staff on science literacy, health writing, and research.

In this role, I led the MedlinePlus.gov program, a high-visibility online health resource serving almost 400 million users each year. I supervised a staff of federal employees and contractors to create and maintain accurate health content across multiple platforms.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• MedlinePlus is a large-scale health communications program, comprising over 28,000 webpages of content in English and Spanish, as well as robust social media channels and a weekly newsletter.

• Managed a multidisciplinary team of communicators, data analysts, translators, and technical experts, ensuring successful collaborations during a period of institutional change.

• Conducted a year-long evaluation of all MedlinePlus program areas, identifying workflow improvements and better ways to use resources; received an agency award for these efforts.

• Used analytics and user surveys to guide strategic planning efforts and drive product improvements.

• Facilitated high-profile collaborations and partnerships with external stakeholders, including Microsoft, Google Health, electronic health record vendors, and application developers.

• Developed communications staff by founding and co-leading a Consumer Health Meetup group and acting as a formal mentor to two young professionals in the agency’s fellowship.

In this role, I led Genetics Home Reference, a specialized online information resource, overseeing the development of scientific content related to genetic diseases and genes.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Served as team lead for Genetics Home Reference, which received 45 million visits annually. Coordinated a staff of content and web developers, and received an agency award for sustained excellence in leadership.

• Identified and worked with more than 1,200 genetics experts worldwide to solicit feedback on scientific content. Managed all aspects of recruitment, communication, and follow-up.

• Used quantitative and qualitative tools, including analytics and customer feedback surveys, to make data-driven quality improvements to Genetics Home Reference. Used this data to inform a successful website redesign in 2016, including a new look, improved navigation, and a better mobile experience.

• Represented the program at local and national meetings, seminars, and conferences. Coordinated data sharing with internal and external partners.

• Worked with contracting officials to prepare statements of work, budgets, and technical reviews for government support contracts. Helped evaluate contractor performance.