Berna Diehl

Media Relations Specialist

Berna Diehl brings more than fifteen years of communication experience to her clients, with a special focus on strategic positioning and media relations.

As a senior media strategist at Jones Public Affairs, Berna uses her understanding of the healthcare media landscape to advance the objectives of her clients.  She has a knack for assembling the right elements to tell a compelling story to key audiences, whether media or other influencers.  Her day-to-day account management includes a broad spectrum of activities—strategic planning, message development, top-tier pitching and more. 

Prior to joining JPA, Berna worked as a consultant where she supported the communications work for various organizations, including the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups and professional societies.  She spent several years providing pro bono consulting for the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). In this role, she worked to establish ICAN as a trusted resource for media and has helped ICAN identify and shape strategic priorities.  Berna led ICAN’s effort to capture emerging trends in access to care for pregnant women with a prior cesarean, and used this data to create a surge of visibility for the issue and for ICAN, with media coverage in  the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Associated Press, Reuters and The Today Show.

Berna spent four years in Edelman’s Washington, D.C. health practice where she developed and implemented strategic communications programs for the American Red Cross, the National Pharmaceutical Council, Pfizer, Kaiser Permanente and the American Health Care Association.  Before joining Edelman, Berna managed various communications efforts for the American Heart Association, supporting the annual scientific meeting as well as the organization’s advocacy efforts related to tobacco control, research funding, and prevention and wellness.  Berna began her career at the agency of Capitoline/Manning, Selvage & Lee, where her clients included the Turkish Government and United Way of America.

Berna graduated in 1994 from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor’s degree in international relations.  She lives with her husband and three boys in Fairfax, Va.