Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel

Teaches in M.S. Health Communication Design

Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel is an assistant provost, associate professor and founding director of the Master of Science in Health Communication Design program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The program’s mission is to empower future leaders to create a healthier world through clear, accessible and actionable communication design strategies. As assistant provost, she directs Jefferson’s Creativity Core Curriculum which serves students across the university by cultivating a confident and flexible student mindset through learning opportunities that explore individual and collaborative creative aptitude and equip students to yield novel and valuable results. Kradel-Weitzel is also an elected member of the National Board of AIGA: The Professional Association for Design.

Kradel-Weitzel’s passion is giving voice to vulnerable and under-represented populations through activism. As president of AIGA Philadelphia (2009-11), she led the development of the chapter’s “Paid Internship Pledge” which urges compliance with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act. As principal of Kradel Design, she led the initiative “Posters Against Ebola” to raise awareness and resources for Doctors Without Borders during the most recent Ebola epidemic. Most recently, she collaborated with a group of design and healthcare practitioners to launch Kindness Wednesday, which promotes acts of kindness to inspire others to follow suit, in response to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Kradel-Weitzel is a Sappi Ideas That Matter grant recipient, has lectured internationally and the work of her practice, Kradel Design, has been recognized with numerous awards. Kradel-Weitzel has a Certificate in Creative Leadership from the Yale School of Management, an MFA from Tyler School of Art and a BA from The Pennsylvania State University.