Heather Platter, Ph.D., M.S.

Heather Platter, Ph.D., M.S.
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS)
Entry Year
2019
Phone
240-276-7177

Doctoral Degree

Ph.D., Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland (2019)

Master's Degree

M.S., University of Florida (2012)

Research Interests

Health and Risk Communication/Health Literacy; Cancer Risk Perceptions Health Judgement and Decision-Making; Cancer Prevention/Screening; Tobacco Control and Prevention

Primary Preceptor/Branch

William Klein, Ph.D., Office of the Associate Director (OAD), Behavioral Research Program (BRP), Division of Cancer Control & Population Sciences (DCCPS)

Publications

Seidenberg AB, Wiseman KP, Eck RH, Blake KD, Platter HN, Klein WMP. Awareness of Alcohol as a Carcinogen and Support for Alcohol Control Policies. Am J Prev Med. 2022 Feb;62(2):174-182. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.07.005. Epub 2021 Oct 13. PMID: 34654593.

Platter H, Kaplow K, Baur C. The Value of Community Health Literacy Assessments: Health Literacy in Maryland. Public Health Rep. 2022 May-Jun;137(3):471-478. doi: 10.1177/00333549211002767. Epub 2021 Mar 11. PMID: 33706612.

Platter H, Kaplow K, Baur C. Community Health Literacy Assessment: A Systematic Framework to Assess Activities, Gaps, Assets, and Opportunities for Health Literacy Improvement. Health Lit Res Pract. 2019 Oct 10;3(4):e216-e226. doi: 10.3928/24748307-20190821-01. eCollection 2019 Oct. PMID: 31637362.

Platter HN, Pokorny SB. Smoke-free signage in public parks: impacts on smoking behaviour. Tob Control. 2018 Jul;27(4):470-473. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053624. Epub 2017 Jul 14. PMID: 28710327.

Platter H. Re: "Cigarette Smoking and Breast Cancer Risk in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women: The Breast Cancer Health Disparities Study" by Conner et al. (J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2016;25:299-310). J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2017 Jan;26(1):91. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2016.6203. PMID: 28099072.

Program Spotlight

Fellows Advisory Board Leaders Receive NCI Director’s Award

February 14, 2022

The annual NCI Director’s Awards recognize exceptional individual and group performance or special efforts in support of NCI’s biomedical research mission. This year at the NCI Director’s Awards ceremony hosted on February 14, 2022, Cancer Prevention Fellows, Drs. Derek Brown, Alexandra Budenz, Ian Buller, Michelle Doose, Sydney O’Connor, Heather Platter, Esmeralda Ramírez-Peña, Naoise Synnott, and Jacqueline B. Vo were honored with NCI Director’s Emerging Leader Awards. This achievement was well-earned through their leadership of the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program’s (CPFP) Fellows Advisory Board (FAB) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This FAB leadership group was nominated by CPFP’s Learning & Development Specialist, Ms. Ann Maxson, and CPFP’s Director, Dr. Lisa Signorello, for spearheading innovative opportunities for fellows to develop skills and community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, as the NIH community transitioned to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this group of emerging leaders swiftly and selflessly volunteered to serve in leadership roles on the FAB. They were quick to recognize the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their fellow colleagues and to ramp up activities to serve them. They developed strategic programming for building virtual community and advocating for the needs of the fellows, for advancing the fellows’ scientific and professional development, and for promoting their professional networking. In these efforts, they cumulatively hosted dozens of innovative events that aimed to offset and ease the pandemic’s effects on fellows. They served as exemplary role models as they motivated and empowered NCI trainees to achieve and connect during a time of great uncertainty. Their empathy, vision, and commitment to their colleagues was a true demonstration of their outstanding leadership abilities.

Heather Platter, Ph.D., M.S.