Empatha - About Us

About Us

Answering 20 Million Questions On Health Issues Has Taught Us How To Do It Right

We've learned how, with understanding and compassion, to tell someone they are HIV positive. Or that they tested positive for herpes and a number of other very personal and scary diseases. We make complex medical information understandable. And we deliver the information the way we would want to hear it ourselves.

• Company Information
• Board of Directors
• A History of Communication

Company Information

Empatha, the most effective communications company in the world at dealing with sensitive health subjects, was incorporated on March 16, 2005 in North Carolina and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Social Health Association (ASHA). Empatha was formerly organized as the Consumer Health Network Services (CHNS) division of ASHA, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

Empatha has more than 20 years experience in handling direct customer response, information and referral services, and health communications services for a variety of government agencies, academic, and research institutions. Now operating as an independent, for-profit company under the name Empatha, we are ready to assist research institutions, private industry clients, and government agencies with their health communication service needs.

Empatha’s combination of call center technology, flexible facilities, staffing patterns, and cross training of Communication Specialists supports a rapid response to both anticipated and unanticipated call surges. From 2000-2004, ASHA staff answered 1,128,000 inquiries per year on average in support of 15 projects for a variety of clients. We have extensive experience in managing call fluctuations associated with media story driven crises, advertising driven call spikes, and predictable seasonal variation in call patterns due to disease cycles and other external factors. If your organization requires assistance in handling health communications inquiries and response, test-results communication services, research study enrollments, or other customer service issues, Empatha is positioned to serve your customers and meet your needs.

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Board of Directors

• Arisa Batista Cunningham, MBA, Chappaqua, New York

• Angela M. Davis, MD, Durham, North Carolina

• Sarah S. Harrison, MBA, Landenberg, Pennsylvania, Vice Chair

• James Kirkpatrick, MD, MPH, FACPM, San Antonio, Texas

• Gary R. Noble, MD, MPH, FACPM, FIDSA, Far Hills, New Jersey, Chair

• Thomas Terragno, MBA, CPA, Atlanta, Georgia, Secretary-Treasurer

• Robert C. Williams, Pittsboro, North Carolina

A History Of Communication

Since 1914, the American Social Health Association (ASHA) has been dedicated to improving the health of individuals, families, and communities. Historically, our focus has been sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). At a time when the venereal diseases gonorrhea and syphilis were unmentionable but nonetheless devastating, ASHA's founders broke the silence. Their efforts led to programs that helped to focus national attention on the need for public education, better clinical management, and effective treatments.

Today, ASHA remains a leader in the area of STDs, with an advocacy role in Washington and numerous research and educational programs, including four national contact centers dealing with HIV/AIDS and other STDs and three comprehensive Web sites (www.ashastd.org, www.iwannaknow.org, and www.quierosaber.org). But we have broadened our mission as well, taking on other challenging health issues, including immunization, SARS, bioterrorism preparedness, West Nile Virus and smallpox.

P.O. Box 13024 | Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 | 919.361.8457