Our Work

Strategic Communications Work

Bringing Childhood Trauma Front and Center

Work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sesame Street in Communities and Johns Hopkins University

Challenge Millions of children in the United States—nearly half of all children in fact—face some sort of traumatic experience when they’re young. This can include things like the death of a parent or guardian, living with someone who struggles with … Continue reading Bringing Childhood Trauma Front and Center →

Creating a New Norm for Medical Care, in the U.S. and Around the World

Work with Project ECHO

Around the globe, millions of people suffer and die unnecessarily because we can’t get rapidly emerging medical knowledge in the right providers’ hands at the right time. For too many people with complex medical conditions, the specialists with … Continue reading Creating a New Norm for Medical Care, in the U.S. and Around the World →

Igniting a Movement to Reverse Childhood Obesity

Work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Obesity is one of the biggest threats to our nation’s health, healthcare system, economy and future. A third of children are overweight or obese, and research suggests this may be the first generation of Americans to live shorter, … Continue reading Igniting a Movement to Reverse Childhood Obesity →

Working Toward a Healthier America, County by County

Work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

People across the United States are beginning to realize that there’s a lot more to health than what happens in the doctor’s office. Where we live, learn, work and play makes a real difference, too. But can that … Continue reading Working Toward a Healthier America, County by County →

In Wake of Leaders’ Murders, Fighting for Land Title—and Justice—for Indigenous Ashéninka in Peru

Work with the Ford Foundation

In September of 2014, just before thousands of politicians and climate activists flooded the streets of New York for the United Nations Climate Summit, four indigenous leaders were shot to death by illegal loggers in the Ucayali region of Peru’s Amazon Rainforest. Indigenous partners in Peru contacted Burness via Facebook to help spread the word about this tragedy, the latest in a string of attacks on environmental defenders in tropical forest regions.

Raising the Bar for Community Colleges

Work with the Aspen College Excellence Program

The nation’s community colleges are underrecognized, underappreciated, and undervalued—but many are also underperforming. Seven million Americans—nearly half of all people who go to college—attend community college, particularly low-income, Hispanic and African American students who require an affordable option … Continue reading Raising the Bar for Community Colleges →

Filling the Void of Doctors and Nurses in Africa

Work with Seed Global Health

The World Health Organization estimates that in 57 countries around the world there is a dire shortage of 2.4 million doctors, nurses and midwives. The crisis is particularly severe in sub-Saharan Africa, which shoulders nearly a quarter of … Continue reading Filling the Void of Doctors and Nurses in Africa →

Elevating World-Class Environmental Science

Work with the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

As we face global threats to our environment—from the loss of biodiversity, to climate change, to increasing water scarcity—much of the public dialogue around our environment is driven by politics and hyperbole. Too often the science that should … Continue reading Elevating World-Class Environmental Science →

Introducing Journalists to World’s Forest Guardians

Work with the World Resources Institute and the Rights and Resources Initiative

The world's forests are being destroyed at a rate of 50 soccer fields every minute, accounting for 11 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. A solution exists that is both cost-effective and available: deforestation rates are dramatically lower in forests where governments actively enforce the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities over their land.

Pushing for Change in Canadian Mining Practices in Central America

Work with the Ford Foundation

In the forests of Central America, far from the eyes of reporters and human rights watchdogs, a war is raging. Canadian-based mining companies, hungry for profit, are clearing the forests that Indigenous Peoples have lived in and protected … Continue reading Pushing for Change in Canadian Mining Practices in Central America →

Our Work

Strategic Communications Work

Bringing Childhood Trauma Front and Center

Work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sesame Street in Communities and Johns Hopkins University

Creating a New Norm for Medical Care, in the U.S. and Around the World

Work with Project ECHO

Igniting a Movement to Reverse Childhood Obesity

Work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Working Toward a Healthier America, County by County

Work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

In Wake of Leaders’ Murders, Fighting for Land Title—and Justice—for Indigenous Ashéninka in Peru

Work with the Ford Foundation

Raising the Bar for Community Colleges

Work with the Aspen College Excellence Program

Filling the Void of Doctors and Nurses in Africa

Work with Seed Global Health

Elevating World-Class Environmental Science

Work with the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement

Introducing Journalists to World’s Forest Guardians

Work with the World Resources Institute and the Rights and Resources Initiative

Pushing for Change in Canadian Mining Practices in Central America

Work with the Ford Foundation

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