Health Equity Champion

At a glance

The Health Equity Champion is nominated by CDC's Office of Health Equity Director for recognition in the quarterly e-newsletter Health Equity Matters, that highlights an individual for their exemplary work in advancing the practice of health equity.

Illustration of holding award with blue and orange background colors.

Health Equity Champion - Fall 2024

CDC's Office of Health Equity recognizes Dr. Pattie Tucker BSN, MPH, DrPH, the Director of CDC's Office of Women's Health, as the Fall 2024 Health Equity Champion!

Professional photo of Dr. Pattie Tucker.
Dr. Pattie Tucker BSN, MPH, DrPH

Dr. Tucker is the Director of CDC's Office of Women's Health. She is recognized as a subject matter expert in the implementation and evaluation of culturally appropriate interventions to address social determinants of health among racial and ethnic groups put at increased risk of poor health outcomes. Dr. Tucker's career spans from clinician for women and children to consultant on evidence- and practice-based strategies designed to promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention domestically and internationally. She spent over 10 years serving populations at risk for poor health outcomes including Medicaid recipients' and others seeking healthcare services at a county health department and an urban teaching hospital. As a nurse program specialist with a state public health department, she provided guidance to a statewide team of nurses and social workers working with older adults needing assistance with navigating various public services and health delivery systems.

Dr. Tucker has worked internationally in CDC's country offices in Zambia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. For almost a decade Dr. Tucker served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the Elimination of Health Disparities. She has co-authored several book chapters and published peer-reviewed articles focused on intervening on the social determinants and evaluation of interventions designed to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

She holds a Doctor of Public Health degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology, a Master of Public Health in Policy and Management from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida A & M University.

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