Laura Magaña
Dr. Laura Magaña is the President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Under Dr. Magaña’s leadership, ASPPH has continued to advance its mission to strengthen the capacity of members by advancing leadership, excellence and collaboration for academic public health. During her tenure, ASPPH has strengthened academic public health research through the Data Center, launched the academic public health leadership institute and enhanced the voice of academic public health through advocacy efforts. She expanded the association’s global reach by welcoming international members and led ASPPH to join with other regional associations that represent schools and programs of public health around the world to found the Global Network for Academic Public Health, which enhances academic public health worldwide through mutual learning and collaborations between academic public health institutions globally. Dr. Magaña has also launched five strategic initiatives to address critical issues in public health as part of ASPPH’s Vision 2030: Dismantling Racism in Academic Public Health, Climate Change and Health, Framing the Future 2030, Gun Violence Prevention and the ASPPH Workforce Development Center.
Prior to joining ASPPH, Dr. Magaña dedicated more than 35 years to successfully leading the transformation and advancements of public and private universities in Mexico; educational organizations in the United States; United Nations programs; and nongovernmental organizations in Central America and Europe. She was most recently the dean of the School of Public Health in Mexico at the ASPPH-member National Institute of Public Health (INSP). She has also been a faculty member and lecturer at universities around the world.
Dr. Magaña’s diverse portfolio features 90 academic publications and educational technological developments—many of which relate to learning environments, the use of technology in education, and public health education. She frequently speaks with universities, partners, national and international conferences on issues such as social determinants of health and health equity, the future of education for public health and the public health workforce and critical issues in global public health.