UAlbany’s Jennifer Manganello Named 2023-2024 Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellow

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 20, 2023) -- Jennifer Manganello, associate dean for Public Health Practice and a professor at the University at Albany School of Public Health, is one of six experts who have been awarded the 2023-2024 Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellowship by the Rockefeller Institute of Government.

The Nathan Fellowship program provides scholars and practitioners the opportunity to apply their expertise to address problems related to various public policy issues. As part of her fellowship, Manganello will examine challenges related to accessing information, services and support for families who have children with disabilities or special healthcare needs.

Manganello studies health literacy and the effects of media and technology on information, attitudes, behaviors and policies that impact health. Much of her work focuses on children, adolescents, young adults and parents. More recently, she has focused on applying her expertise to reduce health inequities for people with disabilities through research and practice.

“As the parent of a child with disabilities, I know how hard it can be to navigate the systems and services needed, so I am looking forward to applying my health communication expertise to develop recommendations to support families who have a child with disabilities,” says Manganello. “I am also participating as a parent trainee in the LEND program with the University of Connecticut, which focuses on the training of future leaders from a variety of professional disciplines in order to improve the health care delivery system for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. I feel lucky that both of these opportunities worked out at the same time and that I can apply what I learn in the LEND program to my work as a Nathan policy fellow.”

Manganello serves on the editorial board of three health communication journals and is a senior editor at a fourth, the Journal of Health Communication. She regularly provides trainings for healthcare providers and public health professionals in topics related to health literacy and health communication.

“In all that she does—whether it’s teaching, working with organizations or conducting research with colleagues— Dr. Manganello brings a strong sense of purpose to improving the health and wellbeing of our community members whose voices are often not heard or recognized. She is making a difference in the health communication field,” says Erin Bell, interim dean of the School of Public Health. “We look forward to the impact her work with the Rockefeller Institute of Government will have on public policy related to disabilities and healthcare.”

After graduating from Pomona College, Manganello received a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Boston University and a PhD from the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in health communication at the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center. She has published her research in academic journals such as Pediatrics, Public Health Management and Practice, Journal of Children and Media, and Public Health Nutrition.