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Jessica Malaty Rivera

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  • Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Science Communicator; Advocate for Diversity in STEM
  • 2021 Fortune Magazine World's 50 Greatest Leaders; Cover of Parents Magazine
  • 2022 Rock Health's Top 50 Leaders in Digital Health; 2023 Fierce Pharma's Fierce 50
  • 2024 Peabody Nominee, Host of the COVID Tracking Project Podcast

Jessica Malaty Rivera is an infectious disease epidemiologist and award winning science communicator. She has dedicated the last 20 years of her career to emerging infectious disease surveillance, public health policy, and vaccine advocacy. Her specialty is in translating complex public health science into impactful, judgement-free, and accessible information for wide audiences.

In 2021, Jessica was named one of the "World’s 50 Greatest Leaders" by Fortune Magazine for her work on COVID-19 research and data communication and in 2022, Jessica was named of the Top 50 Leaders in Digital Health by Rock Health. In 2023, Jessica was named a Fierce 50 Social Impact Honoree, and in 2024, she was nominated for her first Peabody Award as the host of the COVID Tracking Project Podcast.

Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Infodemiology Initiative at The Public Good Projects, a Fellow at Boston Children's Hospital Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator, and a Researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.

In between her day jobs and being a full time mother to three little kids, she also dedicates several hours a week to promoting science literacy and debunking misinformation on Instagram (@jessicamalatyrivera) and on Substack (@makingsciencemakesense).

 
Jessica Malaty Rivera headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Tableau Software
  • Metcalf Institute
  • SXSW
  • Stanford
  • National Network of Public Health Institutes
“
We had an excellent session with Jessica last week. Her keynote was exactly what we hoped for: practical, engaging, conversational and thought-provoking. She stayed after her session to talk with many audience members who were eager to chat with her. Much of what she discussed in her session rippled through the rest of the meeting and sparked ideas for our network that we will be building on well into the next year.
”

If Data Could Talk: The Importance of Science Communication with Jessica Malaty Rivera | Tableau Software - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Jessica Malaty Rivera
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Droughts & Floods: Making Sense of Data During a Pandemic

As part of George Mason University's Summer Workshop on Pandemics and Global Health Security, infectious disease epidemiologist, Jessica Malaty Rivera will discuss how The COVID Tracking Project stepped in to fill the enormous data reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. She'll cover the importance of data quality, data infrastructure, and the critical work of increasing science literacy. 

 

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How Inclusive Science Communication Builds and Keeps Public Trust

Trustworthiness is achieved when people develop supportive and equitable relationships, and this is especially critical in matters of health. Jessica Malaty Rivera argues that the responsibility for building trust of medical professionals among communities of color must shift to reduce the risk of isolating more people in cycles of fear, shame, and targeted misinformation.

Biography
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