Thoko Kachipande, M.A.
Health Communications Specialist
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
thoko.kachipande@nih.gov
301-435-0911
Thoko Kachipande is a health communications specialist in the Office of Communications and Public Liaison at NIMHD. She focuses on digital strategy and manages communication for priority NIMHD projects and initiatives.
Previously, Ms. Kachipande worked as a senior strategic communication manager for U.S. Pharmacopeia, where she was responsible for campaign planning and digital/social media engagement for advocacy initiatives aimed at building trust in quality standards for medicine. Projects included health communication campaigns that addressed COVID-19 misinformation and built confidence in new vaccine technologies.
Ms. Kachipande has over 15 years of expertise in strategic multi-channel engagement, messaging development, and stakeholder outreach to health science audiences. In addition to prior work for NIMHD, she supported several federal clients at communications and marketing consulting agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Ms. Kachipande holds a Master of Arts degree in communication from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and anthropology from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.
Selected Publications
Using Social Media to Estimate Reach and Assess Response to an HIV Television Drama in Zambia - American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Exposition, 2014
Saving Mothers, Giving Life Birth Plan: A Cost-Effective Option for Reducing Maternal Mortality - APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition, 2014
Susceptibility and Severity Messaging: Communicating Malaria Risk to First- and Second-Generation Immigrants - Johns Hopkins University, 2012 Thesis
Page updated July 11, 2022
