Society for Health Communication

What Society for Health Communication does

The Society for Health Communication is a U.S.-based nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 2016 by Dr. Jay Bernhardt. It serves health communication professionals across public health, healthcare, digital health, academia, and research, with a stated mission of breaking down silos between sectors to advance the science and practice of health communication. The organization has grown to 6,000+ individual members (free membership) and 30+ organizational members, and it operates as a member-driven community anchored by an annual National Summit, an ongoing webinar series, and advocacy and education programs.

The Society's core offerings are membership programs (free individual; tiered organizational at $500–$2,000/year based on organization type and size), the Annual National Summit (in-person and virtual, with registration fees $75–$315 plus workshops and sponsorship packages), a webinar and events program, an official publication partnership with the Journal of Health Communication via Taylor & Francis (with $10/year member subscription), an Academic Degrees and Certificates directory, and recognition programs including the inaugural 2025 Vicki Freimuth Award and the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. There is no proprietary technology product; the technical footprint is a website, Zoom-based webinars, and partnership access to the Taylor & Francis journal platform.

Revenue comes from three primary streams: organizational membership fees, event sponsorships and Summit registrations, and journal partnership/sponsorship economics with Taylor & Francis. The Society operates with 21 staff and elected officer leadership (President, Vice President, Secretary) plus an appointed Executive Director. Geographic operations are primarily U.S., with the Annual Summit rotating across the Washington DC, Virginia, and Boston metros.

Name

Society for Health Communication

Legal name

Society for Health Communication

Website

https://societyforhealthcommunication.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Society for Health Communication is a U.S. nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 2016, uniting 6,000+ individual members and 30+ organizational members across public health, healthcare, academia, and industry through an annual summit, webinars, publications, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association and Health Communication Membership Organization

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health Communications, Risk Communication & Community Engagement (HLAJAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Health communication association
• Professional membership services
• Public health education
• Health communication research
• Nonprofit professional society

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin, TX

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Organizational Membership Fees: Tiered annual membership fees based on organization type (Academic/Government, Non-Profit, For-Profit) and size (measured by FTE count). Fees range from $500 to $2,000 annually. All memberships are annual and valid for one year from payment date.
2. Journal of Health Communication Partnership: Partnership with Taylor & Francis for Journal of Health Communication, with special $10 annual online subscription rate available to active Society members. The Society also receives sponsorship benefits as the Journal serves as a premiere sponsor of the National Summit.
3. Event Sponsorships and Registration: Annual Summit generates revenue through event sponsorship packages that include organizational branding on event communications, materials, no-cost registrations, and newsletter/blog inclusion. Registration fees range from $75 (Student Virtual) to $315 (Regular In-Person), with workshop fees at $50.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Society for Health Communication is a member-driven professional organization that delivers tiered organizational and free individual memberships, an Annual National Summit, an ongoing webinar program, an official publication partnership with the Journal of Health Communication (Taylor & Francis), and an Academic Degrees and Certificates Directory. Its offerings unite public health, healthcare, digital health, academia, and research professionals behind networking, professional development, research publication, and advocacy for the science and practice of health communication.

Product overview

The Society for Health Communication is a member-driven professional organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of membership programs (individual and organizational), educational events (Annual National Summit, webinars), publications (Journal of Health Communication partnership, Vicki Freimuth Award), and academic resources (directory of degree programs). These services collectively advance the science and practice of health communication through networking, professional development, research publication, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Free individual membership program providing access to networking with 6,000+ peers, webinars, events, publications, and professional development opportunities in health communication for professionals across public health, healthcare, digital health, academia, and research.
• Organizational Membership Tiered annual membership for organizations including academic, governmental, non-profit, and for-profit entities, priced from $500 to $2,000 annually based on organization type and FTE count, offering Advisory Board representation, event participation, recruitment access to 6,000+ members, webinar sponsorship, and newsletter/blog promotion.
• Annual National Summit Annual one-day in-person and virtual conference bringing together health communication professionals for networking, workshops, keynotes, and sessions on topics including AI in health communication, evaluation, crisis communication, and public health communication. Registration fees range from $75 (Student Virtual) to $315 (Regular In-Person), with workshops at $50.
• Webinar and Events Program Ongoing webinar series featuring expert-led sessions on health communication topics including AI applications, storytelling for behavior change, social media, crisis communication, and career development, with recordings available for members.
• Journal of Health Communication Partnership Official publication partnership with the Journal of Health Communication offering Society members a $10/year online subscription rate, annual Special Issues with peer-reviewed research, and publication opportunities for Society members.
• Academic Degrees and Certificates Directory Comprehensive directory of formal academic degree programs and certificates in health communication from institutions including Boston University, Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, and 50+ other universities, supporting education and career advancement in the field.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Society has grown to 6,000+ individual members and 30+ organizational members since 2016
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• MITREmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025MITRE partnered with the Society for the 2025 9th Annual National Summit for Health Communication, held at MITRE's campus in McLean, Virginia. The partnership enhanced cross-sector collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Emerson CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The 10th Annual Summit is hosted at the Paramount Center, Emerson College in Boston, MA. Emerson College President Dr. Jay Bernhardt founded the Society for Health Communication.
• Taylor & FranciscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Publisher of the Journal of Health Communication in partnership with the Society. Provides publication infrastructure, online platform (tandfonline.com), and serves as premiere sponsor of the National Summit.
• CDC FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025CDC Foundation sponsored the webinar on CDC Moving Forward, featuring CDC leaders discussing efforts to apply plain language principles and improve user experience on CDC websites.
• Journal of Health Communication (Taylor & Francis / CUNY SPH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Official publication partnership established in 2024. The Journal serves as an official publication of the Society, with goals to increase field access to critical health communication research, create new publication opportunities for Society members, and advance public health. Partnership includes special $10/year online subscription for members and annual Special Issues.
• Deloitte ConsultingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Deloitte Consulting hosted the 8th Annual National Summit at their offices in the Washington DC metro area. Deloitte facilitated panel discussions on transformative power of AI in health communication and public health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Institute for Public Relations: Research and educational nonprofit serving the PR and communications profession. Comparable as a complementary organization providing research, awards, and educational programming that health communicators also consume.

Broad incumbents

• International Communication Association (ICA): International academic association with a Health Communication division, peer-reviewed journals, and annual conference. Comparable as a venue for health communication scholarship and networking, especially for academic and international members.
• National Communication Association (NCA): Scholarly and professional association for communication studies with a Health Communication interest group and peer-reviewed journal. Overlaps on academic membership and publishing but operates as a much broader, primarily academic umbrella.
• American Public Health Association (APHA): The largest U.S. public health membership organization with overlapping interests in health communication, policy advocacy, and annual meetings. Comparable as a peer in member-driven public health practice, but significantly broader in scope and a potential sponsor/competitor for health communication events.
• Public Relations Society of America (PRSA): Large professional association for public relations and communications practitioners with health care sections. Overlaps in serving communicators, including those in healthcare, but much broader scope; competes for the same organizational sponsorships.
• Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH): Membership association for accredited schools and programs of public health, including those with health communication concentrations. Comparable as a peer on academic pipeline and degree program directory offerings such as the Society's Academic Degrees resource.

Direct peers

• Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE): National nonprofit membership organization dedicated to advancing public health education and health communication practice. Closest comparable peer in mission, membership model, journal publications (Health Education & Behavior), and annual advocacy/summit programming for health communication professionals.
• Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD): Membership organization serving healthcare strategists, communicators, and marketers - including health communication professionals. Comparable as a peer in membership model, annual conference, and targeted professional development for health-sector communicators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HealthCommSoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/society-for-health-communication

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Society for Health Communication