Julia Smith-Easley, MPH, CHES Lead, Risk Communication and Community Engagement

Emergency Response and Recovery Branch


Adjunct Assistant Professor
Global Health

Phone: 404.353.6828
Email: jsmit15@emory.edu
Julia Smith-Easley, MPH, CHES

Biography


Julia Smith-Easley is the Lead for Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) at CDC’s Emergency Response and Recovery Branch (ERRB). She is also an adjunct instructor with Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. In this role, she developed and teaches Communicating during Global Public Health Emergencies as part of the Complex Humanitarian Emergencies (CHE) program.

In addition to providing trainings as part of the CHE program, Julia has also provided trainings and technical assistance in emergency risk communication and community engagement for Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama), Eastern Caribbean, India, Jordan, South Africa, and Turkey.

Within ERRB, Julia leads communications efforts for CDC’s Global Rapid Response Team, Global Response Preparedness, Global WASH, Global Disease Detection Operations Center, and Humanitarian Health activities.

Julia has been with CDC since 1997.  She began her CDC career in the former National Center for Infectious Diseases where she developed and coordinated partnerships and activities to support CDC health education programs and campaigns.  In 2007, she joined CDC’s Division of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances (DPSA) as the Corporate Partnerships Coordinator. In 2009, she led the Engaging Leaders lane for CDC’s Healthiest Nation Initiative where she coordinated internal collaborative activities across CDC and facilitated partnerships with external organizations in the business, healthcare, government, education, sports/entertainment, faith-based, and community sectors. Julia joined CDC’s Center for Global Health (CGH) in 2010. 

Areas of Interest

  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Public Health Preparedness and Response
  • Risk Assessment
  • Health Communication

Affiliations and Activities

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Teaching

  • GH 532: Risk Communications for Complex Humanitarian Emergencies