Annenberg’s Andy Tan Recognized with Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

The Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce that Andy Tan, Associate Professor for Communication and Director of the Health Communication & Equity Lab, is a recipient of the 2024 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The awards, which are the highest honor bestowed by the United States government upon science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers, are conferred annually at the White House following recommendations from participating federal agencies. 

“This is an incredibly prestigious honor for a stellar scholar and an engaged member of our community,” says Annenberg Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser. “Not only is Professor Tan an emerging leader in advancing communication science to achieve health equity, but he also spends time mentoring students, trainees and new investigators, including individuals from underrepresented minority communities. We are very proud of his accomplishment and are very fortunate to count him as our colleague.” 

Professor Tan’s work examines the impact of marketing, media, and public health messages on health behaviors and outcomes among diverse populations, including young adults, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. He conducts community-engaged research involving organizations that serve LGBT communities to design and develop culturally appropriate communication interventions that are informed by persuasion and message effects theories, social determinants of health frameworks, and implementation science. He translates his knowledge into scalable and culturally sensitive communication interventions to alleviate tobacco- and cancer-related health disparities. He has been published in many peer-reviewed journals and his scholarship and work have been cited in The Philadelphia Inquirer, TIME, CNN, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal.

“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” says Professor Tan. This award reflects the collective commitment to advancing health equity through community-engaged research, from my dedicated research team members, community advisors, youth partners, and my Annenberg colleagues. I’m grateful to share this accolade with them for inspiring me every day.”

This year’s awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the intelligence community, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. 

Of the nearly 400 scientists and engineers who received the PECASE, five were from Penn. In addition to Professor Tan, Penn awardees included Allyson Mackey, associate professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Arts & Sciences; Catherine McDonald, Dr. Hildegarde Reynolds Endowed Term Chair of Primary Care Nursing, Department of Family & Community Health, School of Nursing; Melanie Pellecchia, assistant professor of psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Center for Mental Health; and Bo Zhen, Jin K. Lee, Presidential Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts & Sciences.

Established by President Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for our nation’s future.