Janet Firshein

Principal

Janet has been at Burness for 20 years and has more than three decades of experience working as a strategic advisor and partner to advance improvements in health and the social conditions that affect health and well-being. Janet is a seasoned strategist and writer with strong skills in media and stakeholder engagement and messaging development and testing. She steers communications efforts aimed at reducing poverty and inequality, addressing the barriers that stand in the way of health and opportunity for all, and improving access to high quality health care. She works in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help it advance health equity and raise awareness about the link between race, racism, poverty and health. Over the years, she has led efforts to help the Brookings Institution showcase evidence about the spread of poverty to the suburbs; supported the U.S. Financial Diaries, a unique research project uncovering the hidden financial lives of working Americans; led communications to promote OpenNotes, which activates patients to be partners in their care; and helped raise awareness about the ties between the drug and device industries and doctors and the implications for patient care. Janet provides ongoing strategic and writing support for a range of issues, including combatting homelessness, helping children and youth heal from the effects of trauma and violence, addressing gaps in care for people with serious mental health conditions, and improving the health of mothers and babies around the world. Prior to joining Burness, Janet was a seasoned journalist covering health, healthcare policy and economics and was a Kaiser Media Fellow.