Industry veteran Rebecca Fish leads certificate program in health communication and marketing


Professor of the Practice Rebecca Fish, a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of healthcare experience, joined the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media in July to teach health communications and marketing courses and oversee the school’s Certificate in Health Communication and Marketing.
Fish brings decades of healthcare industry experience to her role at the school. She has worked in the public and private sectors — nationally and internationally — for organizations including Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. She has also served as the senior policy adviser to the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of health where she worked closely with the WHO, the Gates Foundation and other global health groups. Her background includes work in both business and policy functions.
“Rebecca’s wealth of experience in healthcare communication brings tremendous value to our students, our faculty and to the citizens of our state and beyond,” said Raul Reis, UNC Hussman dean and John T. Kerr Distinguished Professor. “In the school’s Certificate in Health Communication and Marketing, she is preparing students to launch impactful careers and reinforcing UNC Hussman’s commitment to addressing some of the most important challenges facing the public we serve — through effective strategic communication.”
The Certificate in Health Communication and Marketing is a three-course program offered to UNC Hussman undergraduate majors and minors. In this program, students learn about important stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem and what drives their behavior. The emphasis is strategic communications to help patients, consumers, providers and health organizations address critical healthcare challenges.
“When I think about health communication, I am not talking about simply creating a campaign on a topic,” said Fish. “The focus of this certificate program is strategic health communications — understanding who the key stakeholders are in the space, what drives their decision making and determining how to optimally engage them to improve health outcomes.”
The concept for this certificate program was the vision of UNC Hussman graduate, two-time alumna Lisa Stockman Mauriello ’91, ’13 (M.A.). Mauriello recognized the crucial need for preparing the next generation of health communication professionals. After returning to Carolina to earn an M.A. in Technology and Communication in 2013, she became a UNC Hussman adjunct professor on a mission to design a program that would create a new generation of leaders in health communication. Mauriello was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ALS in January 2021 and lost her courageous battle with the disease later that year when she was only 52.
“It’s very important to me that this certificate be worthy of the vision Lisa had in mind for it,” said Fish. “It is an important part of her legacy, and I want it to be the gold standard. I’m honored to contribute to building the certificate alongside colleagues like Francesca Dillman-Carpentier.”
Although the certification is specifically for UNC Hussman students, Fish is building partnerships across the University to tap into Carolina’s expertise related to health and healthcare. She hopes to establish partnerships with the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Public Policy, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health to leverage the breadth of strength in UNC’s health system. In the fall 2024 term, students from Fish’s capstone class in healthcare marketing worked with the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.
“I was so impressed with Professor Fish and her attentiveness to working with me, my colleagues and the students.” said Tim Poe, center director of telehealth. “The students had some great observations, and I’m making plans to incorporate some of the recommendations to improve our communications and our networking.”
The new Mock Health Club that Fish advises is also drawing interest from students both inside and outside of UNC Hussman. The club works through real world simulations like an Ebola Virus outbreak, considering how various stakeholders would tackle key challenges.
“I have had great success with recruitment and leadership largely due to the unwavering support from our adviser [Fish] who provided valuable candid advice throughout the course of the process,” said Neha Srinivasa ’27, creator of the Mock Health Club. “Professor Fish is a very supportive instructor of all students, and she goes above and beyond to support individual student needs on everything from class registration to the job search.”
Fish is working to expand and strengthen the certificate program’s curriculum, including adding a foundational course, along with more global content and immersive experiences. She is also leveraging her networks to attract leading professionals as guest speakers and to create new opportunities for students to apply the concepts and skills they learn in the program to real-world settings that highlight the valuable skills employers seek.
“Making the switch to academia was a big decision, but I love teaching, and I have found this role to be incredibly rewarding,” said Fish. “The students in my classes are deeply engaged and bring thoughtful questions to our discussions. It inspires me to know that these are the people who will be addressing critical healthcare challenges in the future. I’ve also been fortunate to work with amazing colleagues who warmly welcomed me into this community.”
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