Our Team

Dionne Dougall-Bass

Senior Associate, Health & Science Advocacy

Dionne Dougall-Bass originally joined Burness as an Associate in 2000 when she organized and implemented media relations and other promotional activities for leading non-profits in public health, health care and community development. Since re-joining Burness in 2008, she continues to use two decades of experience in media relations, project and event management, partnership building and advocacy coaching to support programs related to better pain management in America, global health research & development, and health care accessibility for underserved communities. Dionne also provides strategic counsel and media outreach for several other health policy, consumer and international clients at Burness, garnering placements and attention from the nation’s top news outlets.

Prior to re-joining Burness, she founded 9th Sign Communications, where she successfully oversaw and directed outreach campaigns for groups to raise visibility for health disparities and chronic diseases among minorities, sports philanthropy, youth development, and childhood obesity. Dionne has also coached celebrity personalities, elected officials, authors, and top-level executives on how to communicate with the media.

Before Burness, she managed day-to-day media relations for the American Hospital Association. She began her career as a production assistant at NBC News, followed by several years at the international public relations agency Fleishman-Hillard, Inc., where she coordinated research and media activities for clients in health care, telecommunications, food and entertainment, and travel industries. Dionne earned her Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Maryland, College Park.