Sara Brinda

Associate, Public Health

Sara has been a Communications Coordinator for the Burness Public Health team since March of 2010. Most of her work centers on the childhood obesity prevention efforts of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but she also assists with other public health projects, including the County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Sara provides communications support through media and stakeholder outreach, research, writing, editing, news monitoring and list development. Prior to joining Burness, Sara held a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, studying mechanisms of DNA maintenance in fruit flies at the National Cancer Institute. She has also worked as a communications intern at the Genetics and Public Policy Center. A relative newcomer to the D.C. area, Sara grew up in Minnesota and attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where she graduated with high honors in biology and a minor in Chinese.

Posts By Sara

Attention, Public Health Wonks – and Parents!

The Food and Drug Administration recently made two major announcements that will affect everyone who buys food in the US. Sara Brinda interviewed Burnesser Elizabeth Wenk about the news.

Do I Believe in Climate Change? Well, It Depends on What You Want Me to Do About It.

A study found that a scientific finding’s practical implications and solutions – not just the underlying facts – influence people’s likelihood of believing the science itself. This has huge implications for communications professionals.

Is Summer a Bummer for Kids’ Health?

It’s June, and that means school is letting out for millions of kids – but according to a new brief from Active Living Research, those of us who associate summer vacation with healthy activities are out of touch with the reality of summer break for today’s children. Recent research shows that children gain up to three times as much weight during summer break as they do during the entire school year.

All Posts by Sara