This panel includes three presentations that will detail research and evaluation of the characteristics and effectiveness of social media for health communications. The research is based largely on an innovative project currently being conducted by CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to investigate the use of social media for environmental health and toxic substance communications. The presenters will describe the tools and processes used for social media monitoring and engagement, and provide an early look at the evaluation findings and best practice recommendations. The presentations will include an evaluation of the use of social media to communicate about current health issues surrounding imported drywall and perchlorate in baby formula, the use of social media to promote the public health conversation, and the use of an innovative new model to identify communication strategies for managing influential social media during a public health crisis.