The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has hired Anne Rancourt as its next director of CTP’s Office of Health Communication and Education.
Rancourt comes to CTP from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she serves as the Communications Director.
Rancourt has more than two decades of experience working in strategic communications, behavior change programs and journalism, including nearly 14 years within the federal government, according to a release.
At NIDA, Rancourt is responsible for managing the communication branch that oversees the dissemination of a nearly $2 billion scientific research portfolio on substance use and addiction, including tobacco and e-cigarette use.
She also advises the Institute director on communication strategies, informing agency leaders on broad public health, education, and scientific policy matters and issues.
Prior to her tenure at NIDA, Rancourt led press outreach and media strategy on HIV as a Communications Section Chief at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Earlier in her career, Rancourt led media and digital outreach strategies for The Heart Truth campaign at NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Rancourt was selected after an extensive nationwide search, multiple interview panels that evaluated a substantial and well-qualified applicant pool, and clearance through important FDA ethics and security processes.
She will begin the new position on May 19th.