Karen Mancera-Cuevas, DrPH, MS, MPH, CHES

Senior Director, Health Equity  |  [email protected]

Dr. Karen Mancera-Cuevas. is the National Health Council’s inaugural Senior Director of Health Equity. Together with Dr. Omar Escontrías, NHC’s Senior Vice President of Equity, Research & Programs, and collectively with other NHC staff, she will drive the NHC’s health equity strategy and innovation to ensure health equity remains at the forefront of our patient-centric research and policy goals.

Dr. Mancera-Cuevas has a professional background that includes previously working in academic centers emphasizing clinical, public health, and community-based participatory research at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University. Additionally, she has worked in state government, varied nonprofit, and policy-level settings. Programs developed under her leadership addressed chronic disease health disparities in diverse communities of color, specifically targeting women and children at the community level.

Dr. Mancera-Cuevas has master’s-level degrees in Public Administration and Health Policy from DePaul University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, respectively. Additionally, she earned her Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) from Walden University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist.

Dr. Mancera-Cuevas is Chair-Elect, Program Committee Member, and Policy Reviewer for the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section of the American Public Health Association; a delegate to the Coalition for National Health Education Organizations; and Associate Editor of Progress in Community Health Partnerships.