Elaine McCarthy (formerly Rahbar) is the Communications Services Senior Managing Principal at Synergy Enterprises, Inc. (Synergy). She is a seasoned communications strategist with more than 20 years of experience managing federal projects that enhance public health for federal agencies. Ms. McCarthy's managerial experience includes work for multiple Institutes and Offices within the National Institutes of Health (Office of Research on Women’s Health, National Eye Institute, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development); the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start; the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, Real Warriors Campaign; and a range of programs within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She manages a team of graphic designers, Web designers, producers, writers, editors, communications specialists, researchers, consultants, and vendors to meet the needs of public health projects. Ms. McCarthy provides strategic guidance, resource needs and allocation, problem solving, and budget management for complex, multimillion-dollar projects and for diverse teams of employees located around the country. Her areas of subject matter expertise include child health and development, substance misuse prevention, mental health, tobacco and smoking cessation, vaccination programs, and safe schools.
Current role