Empathy Affect

For the last 8 years, Dr. Joshua Gordon has served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)—the leading federal agency in mental health research. Next week, Dr. Gordon will depart NIMH and continue the next step of his career at Columbia University. As he wraps up his tenure, we sit down with Dr. Gordon to talk about the arc of progress in mental health research, how NIMH is t...

The 2019 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act—or Evidence Act—aims to improve federal programs applying data, evidence, and evaluations in decision-making. Five years later, how are agencies meeting the requirements of the legislation, and how has the act improved how our government accomplishes its mission? We explore these questions looking into evidence and evaluations at one agency,...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) longest-running tobacco public education campaign, The Real Cost , is marking its 10th anniversary this year. The campaign aims to prevent youth from using tobacco through powerful messaging and real-life stories, but how has The Real Cost remained relevant as the media landscape, young people, and the market of tobacco products all evolved rapidl...

For many mothers, the immediate postnatal period is a vulnerable one, often filled with financial, social, physical, and mental challenges while caring for a young child. Our federal government is working to provide better resources and services to support women through early motherhood, and U.S. Digital Service (USDS) is stepping up with solutions to make it easier, equitable, and more effective....

As adults age, many retire, become empty nesters, and are trying to figure out their next chapter in life. AmeriCorps Seniors has helped 140,000 people discover that next chapter through volunteer opportunities across the country. Learn more about how AmeriCorps has created pathways for older adults to serve and connect with their community. We chat with AmeriCorps Seniors Director Atalaya Sergi t...

It’s the start of a presidential election year. Caucuses and primaries are approaching, and the country is readying to vote. We are taking on elections and speaking with former senior election security advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Kim Wyman about combatting mis- and disinformation to restore the public’s faith in our elections. Kim Wyman previously served...

The Inflation Reduction Act provided a historic amount of funding and opportunity for the federal government to make meaningful investments in environmental justice programs across the government. As we enter season 2 of Empathy Affect , we're joined by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice Matthew Tejada to learn how the legislation is...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) received about $80 billion in additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to make sweeping improvements—including how taxpayers interact with the agency. The IRS's Office of Online Services (OLS) has a big role to play in transforming the taxpayer experience as people increasingly opt to file digitally. On this episode of Fors Marsh Media'...

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in the Executive Office of the President is coordinating with other federal agencies to release a Recovery-Ready Workplace Toolkit that can guide organizations big and small toward helping people suffering with substance use disorder on their paths to recovery. In this episode, ONDCP Senior Policy Analyst Peter Gaumond gives us a sneak peek into t...

Suicide has been a rising public health crisis in America, and veterans are some who are at the highest risk. In honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month this September, we're joined by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Director of Suicide Prevention, Dr. Matthew Miller, to learn about how the VA is supporting veterans, caregivers, and families to prevent suicide and promote...

In part 2 of our episode on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce, we get personal and chat about the roles of mentorship and sponsorship in raising diverse leadership across the government. Our guests, National Science Foundation (NSF) Chief of Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Charles "Chuck" Barber and Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency...

The United States is a diverse nation, and the federal government needs to reflect the faces and minds of the country to deliver its best services. In part one of this month’s Empathy Affect , we dive into the broad strokes the federal government is taking to integrate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) across its workforce. Our guest in this episode, Office of Pe...

Internet connectivity has become a necessity in our lives, but many in America lack quality, affordable, high-speed internet access. To bridge the digital divide, the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Digital Equity Act, which allocated funding to establish grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTI...

Welcome back for part 2 of our discussion on the National Institute's of Health HEALing Communities Study—a bold research effort that looks to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths across highly impacted communities by 40% over three years. Continuing the conversation from Part 1, we look to understand the progress the study has made to date, how the study's researchers have worked along...

In 2018, the National Institutes of Health launched the HEALing Communities Study, a research endeavor to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths across highly impacted communities by 40% over three years. The study bridges science-driven interventions with community collaboration. In the first part of this special two-part episode, we chat with leadership behind the HEALing Communities Study about...

Every decade since 1980, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has set ambitious, measurable goals to make progress across public health—from improving quality health care access to reducing tobacco use. This decade’s iteration, Healthy People 2030, is taking on 358 objectives and focusing on health equity and literacy, as well as social determinants of health. We talk with HHS’s Offic...

The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on an already strained public health system in the United States, pushing many front-line workers to leave the field or retire. AmeriCorps—a federal agency that provides opportunities for national service—is looking to rebuild our public health workforce with Public Health AmeriCorps. Amid National Public Health Week, we talk with Public Health AmeriCo...

Our communities’ resilience has been tested amid exacerbated natural disasters and extreme weather from climate change. As we face a reality shaped by climate change, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is playing its own role in helping the country develop and rebuild in more resilient ways. In this episode of Fors Marsh Media’s Empathy Affect, we untangle some of the challenges...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is known for being one of the government's top funders of federal research grants to institutions of higher learning to advance progress in the fields of fundamental science and engineering. Now, the agency is looking to bring greater accessibility to its grants and help diversify the research pipeline. NSF Office of Integrative Activities Head Dr. Alicia...

A new year marks a moment to set new goals, and for many, that means embracing recovery from substance use and mental health conditions. At the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Office of Recovery provides resources and strategies to elevate the importance of recovery. Many of the office's leaders are in recovery themselves, allowing personal experiences...

Today, we continue our last episode's discussion around federal efforts to understand and combat food insecurity. We discuss policies and programs that provide nutrition assistance with Dr. Sara Bleich, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity. We'll talk about updates in nutrition assistance programs aimed at provi...

Food insecurity is a deeply cross-cutting challenge to take on, so we’re bringing you a two-part episode examining the science of nutrition insecurity and policies looking to address it. In part 1, we talk with Dr. Alison Brown, a program director at NHLBI, about health risks of food insecurity like chronic disease, and how researchers are helping us understand the correlation between access to he...

Our first episode of Empathy Affect takes a big-picture look at the future of public health from the federal level with Admiral Rachel Levine, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Health. Community, climate action, and health equity all play crucial roles, and we'll learn how HHS is integrating them into its policies and action.

Join us as we explore the human side of government. On Empathy Affect , we'll get to know the real people in government who serve us—their missions, the people they serve, and the true impact of their work. Each episode will uncover insights into how our government impacts the human experience and how empathy drives action.  We believe in the Empathy Affect.