Sandra Mullin is Senior Vice President, Policy, Advocacy and Communication at Vital Strategies and leads a global team of communication experts working with governments and civil society partners to implement engaging and impactful strategic communications campaigns to influence policy and behavior change.
Mullin has more than 20 years of experience as a global leader in strategic public health communication, policy advocacy, and social marketing. Achievements include helping to secure the globally-influential New York City Smoke-Free Air Act of 2002, which has encouraged other cities and countries to adopt smoke-free laws, and handling the public health communication response to the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York City and the anthrax crises that followed. She has also advised health authorities on numerous health crises, including the Ebola epidemic of 2014, and has authored or co-authored articles that have been published in a wide range of outlets including The Lancet and Huffington Post. She brings this expertise to Vital Strategies’ global work on tobacco control, obesity prevention, environmental health, road injury prevention and communicable and non-communicable disease prevention and has overseen the implementation of mass media campaigns that have been seen by more than 2 billion people in low and middle-income countries in Asia, Latin and South America, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Prior to joining Vital Strategies, Mullin served in New York City government as Communications Director to the New York City Council, the City’s legislative body, and before that, as Director of Communication for the New York City Department of Health. Mullin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hofstra University, undertook doctoral work in political science at the City University of New York, and received a master’s degree from the Hunter School of Social Work. She has also participated in the Leadership Program for Non-Profit Executives at Columbia University’s School of Business.
