Amelia Burke-Garcia | Director, Center for Health Communication Science
NORC at the University of Chicago

Dr. Amelia Burke-Garcia is a leading health communications scholar and practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs that improve public health—particularly through strategies that strengthen vaccine confidence. She directs NORC’s Center for Health Communication Science, where she develops and deploys evidence-based communication approaches to inform, engage, and motivate diverse communities. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Burke-Garcia has led some of the field’s most innovative communication initiatives. She directed the CDC’s National Influenza Vaccination Campaign and led the evaluation of its adult immunization program. From 2020 to 2024, she oversaw the award-winning How Right Now/Que Hacer Ahora campaign, designed to help people build coping skills and resilience. She also led a national project for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to create clinical resources for providers in emergency care settings. Her work has included partnerships with MeetUp and Waze to spur action around flu vaccination and HIV testing. And for more than a decade, she has been at the forefront of research on the role of social media influencers in immunization communication—recently expanding this work to explore how artificial intelligence is shaping vaccine opinion leadership.

Dr. Burke-Garcia is the author of two books: Influencing Health: A Comprehensive Guide to Working with Social Media Influencers and Communicating Through a Pandemic: A Chronicle of Experiences, Lessons Learned, and a Vision for the Future. She has been recognized by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy during Women’s History Month and named one of VeryWell Health’s “10 Modern Female Innovators Shaking Up Health Care.”

She is a Founding Member of the Society for Health Communication, a member of the Council for Quality Health Communication, and currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors for Vaccinate Your Family. Dr. Burke-Garcia holds a bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies and Humanistic Studies from McGill University, a master’s degree in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University, and a PhD in Communication from George Mason University.