Toni Perling is a health communications strategist, researcher, and writer with extensive experience translating complex public health and medical topics into clear, compelling, and accessible narratives. With an audience-centered approach, she specializes in helping organizations bridge the gap between difficult clinical concepts and the real-world needs of patients, providers, and communities.
Her career spans high-impact public health initiatives, qualitative clinical research, and popular media production. At the CDC Foundation, Toni directed strategic communications for major national efforts, including emergency COVID-19 response initiatives, non-infectious disease programs, and critical workforce development projects. As a Physician Insight Specialist with Medscape, she conducts in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals to identify clinical trends, workflow challenges, and emerging industry developments. Earlier in her career, she wrote and produced medical television programming, developing the pilot and more than 50 episodes of Discovery Channel's I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant.
As a neurodivergent communicator, Toni leverages that perspective to craft engagement strategies that ensure vital information resonates across diverse populations. She holds a BS in Communications from Northwestern University and an MS in Health Communication from Boston University.
A native of Atlanta, Toni also enjoys a good puzzle and/or nap, curating her many collections, keeping a close critical eye on popular culture, and overindulging her two rescue dogs, LuLiu and Sadie.
