General Contact Information
- Media Relations Phone: 410-955-6070
- Media Relations Email: JHMedia@jhmi.edu
- After Hours & Holidays: 410-955-6070.
If you are a journalist working on a tight deadline or if this is an afterhours, urgent request, you can call this number and ask the operator to page the media relations representative on-call.
Journalists should always work with our team first to coordinate interviews. Each team member represents several departments or specialties of medicine and is available to respond to media inquiries or interview requests in a timely manner. If you are a journalist and unsure which specialty would be most appropriate for your request, please send an inquiry to JHMedia@jhmi.edu. Thank you.
To review our protocol on providing patient condition updates please reference this page.
Public Relations, Media Relations and Corporate Communications Team
- Addiction
- Adolescent Medicine
- AIDS/HIV
- Anatomy
- Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine
- Burn Center (Pediatric)
- Cancer
- Cardiology
- Community Health/Engagement and Health Disparities/Equity
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Dermatology
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
- Gastroenterology
- General Internal Medicine
- Geriatrics/Gerontology
- Gynecology/Obstetrics
- Hematology
- Hepatology
- Hospital Epidemiology/Infection/Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Diseases
- Integrative/Complementary Medicine
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
- Johns Hopkins Children's Center
- Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
- Johns Hopkins Medicine International (Latin America, Chinese, Caribbean and Middle East media)
- Liver
- Neonatal, Perinatal Medicine
- Nephrology/Kidney Disease
- Neurology/Neurosurgery
- Nursing
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology/Wilmer Eye Institute
- Orthopaedics
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Pain
- Pancreas
- Pathology
- Pediatrics (General)
- Pediatrics/Children's Center
- Pharmacy
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Pulmonary
- Radiology
- Rheumatology
- Sleep
- Sports Medicine
- Surgery
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Transplant Surgery/Organ Transplant
- Transplants
- Urology
- Women’s Health
- Rheumatology (Research)
- A Woman's Journey
- Allergy/Asthma
- Animal Care and Use
- Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality
- Awards and Announcements
- Basic Science Research
- Bioterrorism
- Branding, Third Party Releases/Use of Name
- Business of Medicine
- Cameras on Campus
- Caribbean Media
- China Media
- Community Engagement
- Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR)
- Diversity Initiatives
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Education
- Evolution
- General Media Inquiries
- Genetics
- Geriatrics/Aging
- Government Affairs
- Health Care Policy
- Healthcare Policy
- HIPAA
- History of Medicine
- Human Resources
- Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
- Institute for Cell Engineering
- Institute of Genetic Medicine
- International Adoption Medicine
- Issues Management
- Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures
- Labor Relations
- Latin American Media
- Legacy of Henrietta Lacks
- Legal Issues
- Managed Care
- Managed Care and Security
- Metrics and Reporting
- Nutrition
- Pediatrics (Research)
- Photo/Video Use/Permissions
- Research
- Research Integrity
- School of Medicine
- Security
- Supply Chain
- Technology Licensing
- Use of Name
- Women’s Board

Ayanna Tucker
Ayanna Tucker is a communications specialist covering basic science research for the Johns Hopkins Medicine public relations, media relations, and corporate communications team.
Prior to joining the basic sciences communications team, Ayanna was the summer 2018 communications intern at the American Public Health Association, where she produced social media content, assisted with the Get Ready emergency preparedness campaign and wrote news and blog articles for The Nation's Health and Public Health Newswire, respectively. In spring 2019, she completed her master's internship at the Center for Program Integrity at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, where she assisted with digital projects and writing promotional materials.
Ayanna received a B.S. degree in nutritional sciences from Howard University in May 2017 and a M.P.H. degree from the University of Maryland in May 2019.
Beats Covered
- Anatomy
- Basic Science Research
- Bioinformatics
- Biological Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Evolution
- Genetics
- History of Medicine
- Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
- Institute for Cell Engineering
- Institute of Genetic Medicine
- Molecular Biology
- Neurosciences
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Research
- Stem Cell Research
- Veterinary Medicine

Vanessa Wasta, M.B.A.
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.
Beats Covered
- Anatomy
- Basic Science Research
- Bioinformatics
- Biological Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Evolution
- Genetics
- History of Medicine
- Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
- Institute for Cell Engineering
- Institute of Genetic Medicine
- Molecular Biology
- Neurosciences
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Research
- Stem Cell Research
- Veterinary Medicine