Dr. Karen Mancera-Cuevas Joins the National Health Council as Senior Director, Health Equity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                       Contact: Jennifer Schleman
jschleman@nhcouncil.org

 

Dr. Karen Mancera-Cuevas Joins the National Health Council
as Senior Director, Health Equity

Washington, DC, March 20, 2023 – The National Health Council (NHC) has named Karen Mancera-Cuevas, DrPH, MS, MPH, CHES as the organization’s inaugural Senior Director of Health Equity. Collectively with the NHC staff, Dr. Mancera-Cuevas will drive the NHC’s health equity strategy and innovation and ensure health equity remains at the forefront of the organization’s patient-centric research and policy goals. She will report to Dr. Omar Escontrías, the NHC’s Senior Vice President of Equity, Research & Programs.

“Prioritizing health equity across the health ecosystem is a pillar of our Strategic Plan. So we are excited to have Karen join the NHC team as our first Senior Director of Health Equity to help us achieve our goals,” said Randall L. Rutta, the NHC’s Chief Executive Officer. “Karen brings extensive professional experience intertwining health education, health policy, and clinical research in a variety of settings from nonprofit spaces to all levels of policy. She is passionate about improving health equity and access to care, having worked with diverse racial and ethnic populations, and utilizing community-based participatory research in her previous positions.”

Most recently, Dr. Mancera-Cuevas was the Deputy Director, Health Promotion at the Illinois Department of Public Health where she provided strategic vision for and executed major programs to promote and protect public health of Illinois residents. Prior to that, she was the Associate Director, Research Projects, Division of Rheumatology at Northwestern University, a Research Specialist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Community Health Educator at the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago.

Dr. Mancera-Cuevas earned her Doctor of Public Health at Walden University, her Master of Public Health in Health Policy & Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago, her Master of Science in Public Services Administration at DePaul University in Chicago, and her Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

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About the NHC
Created by and for patient organizations more than 100 years ago, the National Health Council (NHC) brings diverse organizations together to forge consensus and drive patient-centered health policy. We promote increased access to affordable, high-value, sustainable health care. Made up of more than 150 national health-related organizations and businesses, the NHC’s core membership includes the nation’s leading patient organizations. Other members include health-related associations and nonprofit organizations including the provider, research, and family caregiver communities; and businesses representing biopharmaceutical, device, diagnostic, generic drug, and payer organizations. For more information, visit nationalhealthcouncil.org.