John Anderton, PhD, MPA

John P. Anderton, PhD, MPA, works in health communications at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over the past 18 years, he has launched national campaigns promoting childhood immunization, stomach ulcer treatment, HIV testing, and is presently working on promoting community-based biosurveillance. Anderton has also conducted media training sessions for senior CDC management, external partner groups, and for Masters in Public Health students since 1996.

He served in crisis communications response during the Washington DC anthrax attacks of 2001 and during the influenza vaccine shortage of 2003. Anderton studies emerging media, and introduced a CDC space into the virtual world Second Life through avatar Hygeia Philo in July, 2006. He is a frequent presenter or emcee at national health conferences on social marketing topics, and is currently the moderator of the “Health Marketing Matters” podcast of CDC’s National Center for Health Marketing.

Anderton’s PhD is in Health Promotion and Behavior from the University of Georgia and his Masters Degree is in Public and Urban Administration from Georgia State University. His professional concentrations are in communications planning, theories of social influence, persuasion, and evaluation as well as use of innovative communications technologies. Anderton’s present position is Associate Director for Communications Science in CDC’s National Center for Public Health Informatics.