Michelle English

Michelle English is the Director of Communications for the Center for International Studies (CIS), where she designs, implements, and oversees strategic messaging, branding, as well as outreach initiatives. She also manages the flagship public event series, the MIT Starr Forum.

Before joining CIS, she served as the Public Communications Officer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she led national press conferences with the NIH, managed media outreach and branding, and launched public initiatives, including the popular Midsummer Nights’ Science lecture series.

Her background also includes research and publishing at Natural Standard, an international collaboration founded by MGH clinicians serving healthcare giants such as Partners (now MGB), Kaiser Permanente, and MD Andersen Cancer Center, along with leading content providers, including WebMD and Harvard Health. During her tenure there, she was appointed adjunct professor at Northeastern University, where she taught research methodology to PharmD students during their clinical rotations at Natural Standard.  

Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with extensive coursework in graphic design, web design, as well as graduate-level studies in health communications and writing.

A longtime member of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), she is also a recipient of a Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) award, recognizing her contributions to educational advancement.

At CIS, she received the Infinite Mile Award from MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences for developing MIT Generation Global, a fellowship program that connects MIT students with local high schools to design solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges. 

She proudly serves as a member of the International Women's Media Foundation selection committee for the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship. The Neuffer fellowship provides female journalists working in the area of human rights the opportunity to study at MIT, while receiving training and reporting opportunities at the New York Times and the Boston Globe.