Biography of Jay M. Bernhardt

Health communication researcher Jay M. Bernhardt is the 13th president of Emerson College inBoston, Massachusetts Bernhardt previously served as dean of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. He also established the school's Center for Health Communicationduring histenureatthetop-rankedTravisCounty-basedinstitution.

Elsewhere, he has performed high-level roles at the University ofFlorida,theUniversityofGeorgia,and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The New Jersey native enjoys memberships to numeroushonorsocietiesandservesontheboardsofseveralhigh-profileorganizations

Bernhardt has received various awards for his leadership and scholarship work. The 13th president of Emerson College is also a long-time mental health advocate and proudly supports a wide range of charities, nonprofits, and good causes. Beyond his professional work and other commitments, he enjoys art,theater,andexperiencingnewcuisines.

CurrentRole&Duties

EmersonCollege

Jay Bernhardt is the 13th president of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Bernhardt joined the easternmost Massachusetts-based college in 2023, previously serving as the University of Texas at

Austin's Moody College of Communication dean since March2016.Boston-basedEmersonCollegealso hascampusesinCaliforniaandtheNetherlands.

Bernhardt is committed to serving the school's faculty and students with steady and caring directionand guidance from its Boston campus. The esteemed health communication researcher took over as the school's 13th president from interim principal Bill Gilligan Gilligan had previously served as interim presidentatEmersonCollegesince2021.

CareerHistory

MoodyCollegeofCommunication

Bernhardt is the former dean of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the Austin-based University of Texas's Communication CollegeinMarch2016.While servingasitsdean,hebecamethefoundingdirectorofitsCenterforHealthCommunication

Before becoming dean, Bernhardt served as the school's interim dean from August 2015 until February 2016 He also spent the prior 20 months as a professor at the institution, where hisprimaryappointment was in theDepartmentofCommunicationStudies.Bernhardtfurthermaintainedasecondaryappointment intheStanRichardsSchoolofAdvertisingandPublicRelations.

OtherNotableRoles

DigitalHealthImpact,Inc.

Jay Bernhardt founded Digital Health Impact, Inc in Gainesville, Florida, in 2011 As Digital Health Impact's founder and president, he led operations dedicated to consulting on wide-ranging scientific and strategicapplicationsandinnovations

He and his team also focused on digital healthtechnologies,healthcommunication,andsocialmarketing foracademic,governmental,nonprofit,andprivate-sectorclients.

UniversityofFlorida

Between 2010 and 2014, Bernhardt served asaUniversityofFloridaprofessor,chair,andcenterdirector. For four years, he led students, faculty, and other staff while also developing a number of digital health-focused academic training programs and initiatives designed to increase all-important research opportunitiesattheschool

CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention

Thecurrent13thpresidentofEmersonCollege,JayM Bernhardt,isaformerCentersforDiseaseControl and Prevention department director In 2005, he became the first permanent director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Marketing. As director, he oversaw a 500-strongteamoffederalemployeesandcontractorswithanannualbudgetofover$100million

AcademicBackground

UniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill

Bernhardt studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between 1994 and 1999 While studying at the University of North Carolina, he became the school's student union board chair and subsequently enjoyed induction into the Order of the Grail Valkyries It's from the Chapel Hill-based institutionthatheholdshisPh.D.inpublichealth.

RutgersUniversity

A then-18-year-old Jay Bernhardt joined Rutgers University the State University of New Jersey as a student in 1987. Between 1987 and 1992, Bernhardt studied sociology and computer science atRutgers. He later became the president of Phi Delta Theta and enjoyedinductionintotheOrderofOmegaandthe CapandSkullHonorSociety.

Bernhardt also spent 12 months studying at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 1993 and 1994, where he became the student government association's president It's from Rutgers University thatheholdshisM.P.H.andB.A.degreesinhealtheducationandsociologyfromRutgersUniversity.

Awards

New Jersey-born Jay Bernhardt is a multi-award-winning educator, professor, researcher, and board director. Among the many high-profile professional accolades earned by Bernhardt during his career are thefollowing:

● JohnT.McGovernHealthCommunicationAward

● CharlesAtkinOutstandingTranslationalHealthCommunicationScholarAward

● EverettM.RogersAwardforExcellenceinHealthCommunication

● AmericanPublicHealthAssociationExcellenceinLeadershipAward

● JayS.DrotmanMemorialAwardforCreativeLeadership

Bernhardt also has a national award named inhishonorintheshapeoftheBernhardtStudentLeadership Award for Excellence Established in 2011, the American Public Health Association presents the Bernhardt Student Leadership Award for Excellence annually through its health informatics and informationtechnologysection

PersonalLife&Interests

Jay M. Bernhardt lives and works in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He resides happily with his wife, Cassandra, in Boston The award-winning educator and mental health advocate is a keen philanthropist and proudly supports numerous all-important charities, nonprofit organizations, and other goodcauses.

Away from his professional and philanthropic work, he enjoys art, theater, travel, and trying new restaurants with different cuisines. He and his wife also revel in time spent with their family and close friendsinMassachusettsandelsewhere