Roy Adams

• Office: 727-767-4456
• Email: hadams11@jh.edu

Roy Adams is a public relations specialist at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. He works with local and national news organizations to facilitate coverage of the hospital's services and programs and responds to media requests for pediatric medical experts. Before moving into this role, Roy served as the hospital's volunteer director and also managed community education programs and events.

Before joining the hospital in 1992, he held public relations and fundraising positions with the American Red Cross and the Pinellas Education Foundation. He is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of St. Petersburg. Roy received his bachelor of arts degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida.

Alexandria Carolan

• Cell: 732-609-0602
• Email: acarola1@jh.edu

Alexandria Carolan joined Johns Hopkins in April 2024 as a senior communications specialist, focusing on promoting basic science research. Previously, Alexandria was a science reporter and associate editor for The Cancer Letter, an oncology trade publication. She wrote articles about science, policy and news in the field of cancer. She has also taught first-year English and creative writing as an instructor at the University of New Hampshire.

Alexandria has a bachelor’s degree in multiplatform journalism and a secondary major in English from the University of Maryland. She also has a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of New Hampshire. Alexandria has received awards for her investigative, breaking news and feature reporting from the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She also received the Thomas Williams Memorial Award, Dick Shea Memorial Award and Summer Teaching Assistantship Fellowship from the University of New Hampshire for her fiction writing.

Kristen Crocker

• Office: 410-955-6681
• Cell: 443-905-9581
• Email: kcrocke9@jhmi.edu

Kristen is a senior communications specialist who joined the public relations, media relations, and corporate communications team in April 2022. In this role, she supports the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s various research, academic and programmatic activities. She also coordinates with news organizations to share stories from various other areas of focus within Johns Hopkins.

Before joining Johns Hopkins, Kristen served in the nonprofit and U.S. government spheres, including with the American College Health Association and the U.S. Department of State. In her past roles, she has led writing and editing efforts for multiple newsletters and outlets, participated in community advocacy, and assisted with event management.

Kristen graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with bachelor’s degrees in life sciences communication and genetics.

Cassidy Davis

• Office: 410-955-6681
• Cell: 806-204-0260
• Email: cdavi185@jhmi.edu

Cassidy Davis serves as a communication specialist on the Johns Hopkins Medicine public relations, media relations and corporate communications team. In this role, she promotes achievements and research conducted at Johns Hopkins while raising brand awareness.

Before joining Johns Hopkins, Cassidy worked in the book publishing industry as a marketing associate, freelance copywriter and content creator. Before that, Cassidy worked with literary magazines, small presses, editorial firms and universities throughout Texas and Boston. In previous positions, Cassidy organized and managed comprehensive PR and marketing campaigns, tour and publication strategies.

Cassidy earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative and professional writing from Lubbock Christian University. She also earned a master’s degree in publishing and writing from Emerson College.

Zach Fulwood

• Office: 410-955-6681
• Email: zfulwoo1@jhu.edu

Zach Fulwood joined the public relations, media relations and corporate communications team in October 2022 as a communications specialist. In this role, he promotes research conducted at Johns Hopkins and coordinates with local and national news organizations to share stories across multiple service lines.

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Zach worked as a communications development coordinator at Civic Works Inc., where he was responsible for brand promotion, event planning and donor relations.

Zach grew up in Columbia, Md., and received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Towson University.

Caslon Hatch

• Cell: 515-556-2586
• Email: chatch8@jhu.edu

Caslon Hatch is a senior communications specialist for The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she leads external communication efforts.

Before her current role, Caslon was a part of the Johns Hopkins Medicine enterprise team, where she supported various departments to promote research, clinical advances and related initiatives, as well as coordinate with news organizations to share stories across the health system.

Previously, Caslon served as the communications director for the Iowa Red Cross, where she managed crisis communications and public relations. She also worked in media relations at the Defense Health Agency during the COVID-19 pandemic and was a journalist for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska.

Caslon grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago.

Helen Jones

• Office: 410-502-9422
• Email: hjones49@jhmi.edu

Helen Jones joined the Johns Hopkins public relations, media relations, and corporate communications team in January 2013. Among her duties as a media relations specialist are aiding in the distribution and tracking of press releases, collecting and disseminating daily news about Johns Hopkins Medicine, compiling monthly reports, managing media requests and providing media services to physicians and researchers.

Helen was previously employed at the Washington Post, where she edited opinion pieces, editorials and letters to the editor and helped keep track of daily readership trends on the Web. Before that, she worked as a copy editor and assigning editor for her hometown newspaper, the Baltimore Sun.

She received a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Towson University.

Ashley Marshall

• Office: 727-767-2846
• Email: ashley.roberts@jhmi.edu

Ashley Marshall is communications manager at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. She leads a team of public relations and social media specialists who work with local, national and international news organizations to share the stories of the hospital's pediatric patients, their families and staff.

Ashley holds a bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas in electronic news (broadcast journalism) and worked in TV news for more than eight years. Her career includes stops in Dallas-Fort Worth as a general assignment reporter and host/producer for a lifestyle show at the CW affiliate and in Austin as traffic anchor, fill-in news anchor, feature reporter and multimedia journalist for CBS Austin.

Before joining the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Ashley served as public affairs specialist for Southwestern University in the Austin metro area. Ashley has worked at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital since 2017.

Michel Morris

• Office: 410-502-9485
• Email: melben1@jhmi.edu

As a communications specialist for Johns Hopkins Medicine, Michel promotes community collaborations and covers several clinical beats.

She develops relationships with media personnel, community organizations and agencies to promote JHM’s services and events. Michel also writes website, social media, newsletter and feature content.

Michel is a former journalist who wrote for the Baltimore Sun Media Group and American Farm Publications. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Michel was the Casey Cares Foundation’s communications coordinator. She is a graduate of Salisbury University with a degree in communication arts.

Laura Motel

• Office: 410-955-1503
• Cell: 202-329-5359
• Email: lmotel1@jhmi.edu

Laura Motel is a communications specialist with the Johns Hopkins Medicine public relations, media relations, and corporate communications team. In her role, she is responsible for providing strategic communications support to The Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Nursing.

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins Medicine in June 2016, Motel worked as a communications specialist for the Maryland State Department of Education, focusing on communicating the state's education initiatives to internal and external audiences. She also served as a media specialist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she produced TV and video segments and provided media outreach.

Motel earned an M.A. in journalism and public affairs from American University and a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College.

Michael E. Newman

• Office: 240-602-5365
• Cell: 240-602-5365
• Email: mnewma25@jhmi.edu

A seasoned science and medical communicator with expertise in public affairs, journalism and broadcast media, Michael joined the Johns Hopkins Medicine public relations, media relations, and corporate communications team as senior media relations representative in March 2019. In this role, he communicates and promotes the research, clinical advances, service lines and related initiatives for a diverse group of the institute's divisions.

Michael came to Hopkins after 27 years at the federal government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At NIST, he served from 1991 to 2007 as director of media relations and then for the next 11 years as senior communications officer.

Prior to NIST, Michael worked as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, a medical TV writer/producer for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, a features reporter at an NPR affiliate, an ABC-TV news producer, an audiovisual production manager and media officer for a Fortune 500 oil and gas company, and a press officer/science writer for the National Cancer Institute. He also penned the popular "Answer Line" question-and-answer column for the Journal newspapers in the Greater Washington, D.C., area from 1990 until 2006.

Michael holds bachelor degrees in microbiology from Clemson University and communications from the University of Houston, and he completed one year toward a Ph.D. in virology at Baylor College of Medicine. He is a member of the D.C. Science Writers Association (for which he serves as president for 2024-2025) and the National Association of Science Writers (for which he was co-chair of the Public Information Officers Committee for nine years and a member of the Programs Committee that planned 14 annual NASW national meetings). In 2013, NASW honored Michael with the Diane McGurgan Award, the organization’s highest recognition for dedication and volunteer service.

Tiffany Payne

• Office: 804-252-5316
• Email: tpayne@jhmi.edu

Tiffany Payne is the public relations and event manager for Sibley Memorial Hospital. She manages the development and implementation of strategic internal and external public relations strategies and communications projects.

She also supervises creative direction and serves as the content creator and editor for internal newsletters and Sibley's JHM Link category. Tiffany has over 15 years of years of experience in communications and public relations has been at Sibley Memorial Hospital for 15 years.

Tiffany is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, with a bachelor of science degree in public relations.

Kim Polyniak

• Office: 443-287-8589
• Cell: 443-510-5807
• Email: kpolyni1@jhmi.edu

Kim Polyniak, M.A., serves as a communications manager with the Johns Hopkins Medicine public relations, media relations and corporate communications team. In this role, she spends her time managing communications projects and media relations activities for Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

Throughout her career, Polyniak has held a wide range of positions in the communications industry in Maryland. Her professional experience began at WBFF-TV Fox45 in Baltimore, where she served in different producing roles. She also held positions at Maryland Public Television, in marketing and communications at a local Baltimore hospital and as a freelance writer. Polyniak has written for various formats, including television news, print publications, the Internet and social media.

Polyniak earned an M.A. in writing from The Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in mass communication from Towson University.

Melissa Roos

• Office: 202-309-4852
• Email: mroos3@jh.edu

Melissa Roos is the interim director of communications for Suburban Hospital and the director of communications for Sibley Memorial Hospital. She leads strategic and executive communications, media relations, and thought leadership for both hospitals. Melissa has close to 20 years of experience in communications and public relations and has been a part of the Johns Hopkins Medicine team for more than six years.

In her previous roles, Melissa led public relations, advocacy, brand strategy and thought leadership for a number of pharmaceutical companies, major consumer brands and foundations while at global public relations agencies. She led multiple teams and directed the development of communications and advocacy strategy, websites, social and digital campaigns, policy positions, media outreach, content, and stakeholder engagement. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with dual bachelor?s degrees in public relations from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and political science.

Melanie Smith

• Office: 410-550-1040
• Email: mhaynes1@jhmi.edu

Melanie Smith joined the Johns Hopkins Bayview communications team in October 2013. Since January 2022, she has served as communications project coordinator and media relations representative. Her duties include writing and distributing media advisories and press releases, writing articles and announcements, compiling quarterly media reports, managing media inquiries and arranging media visits and interviews with content experts.

Melanie is a native Baltimorean. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from University of Maryland Global Campus, where she graduated summa cum laude.

Liz Vandendriessche

Director of Media Relations, Public Relations and Corporate Communications

• Office: 410-502-9424
• Cell: 443-223-3378
• Email: lvanden8@jhmi.edu

As director of public relations, media relations, and corporate communications for Johns Hopkins Medicine, Liz Vandendriessche leads proactive and reactive media and brand strategies, issue and crisis communications as well as high-priority corporate communication campaigns.

Before her role at Johns Hopkins, Liz served as a leader in brand reputation management and systemwide communications at Sentara Healthcare, Virginia's largest not-for-profit healthcare system. In that role, she drove comprehensive and integrated initiatives for all internal, external, executive and crisis communications across the system. Before that, Liz spent nearly 10 years leading strategic communications and marketing efforts for Fortune 500 technology, government and healthcare clients as well as federal government agencies at a leading marketing and communications agency in Alexandra, Va.

Liz holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications, with a concentration in business administration, from the George Washington University as well as a master of business administration degree from Regent University. She also is a member of the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Association.

Haley Wasserman

• Office: 410-955-6681
• Email: hwasser4@jhu.edu

Haley Wasserman joined the public relations, media relations and corporate communications team in December 2021 as a communications specialist. In her role, she helps with the team’s internal and external communications operations by assisting in the distribution and monitoring of press releases, fielding media requests, as well as tracking and reporting media placements.

Haley also develops written communications to promote specific research areas at Johns Hopkins and advance overall institutional awareness.
Previously, Haley worked as a science writing intern with the team, where she assisted in coverage of the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. She produced press releases and feature stories for the Fundamentals e-newsletter and also created content for Fundamentals social media channels. Prior to this role, Haley served as an English educator, researcher and assistant administrator at her alma mater, Marquette University.

She has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences with a secondary major in English from Marquette University and a master’s degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University.

Vanessa Wasta

• Cell: 410-858-6986
• Email: wasta@jhmi.edu

Vanessa Wasta has spent more than 20 years in science and medical communications. She manages communications for basic science research at Johns Hopkins Medicine, spanning three institutes and more than 250 faculty.

Her team oversees media relations, digital publications and social media channels relating to basic science research. She holds a bachelor of science degree in biology and a master's degree in business administration. Previously, she managed media relations and web projects at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, covering laboratory and clinical research news, as well as social media. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and an emeritus member and former chair of the Public Affairs and Marketing Network of the nation's top cancer centers.