A public health leader and systems thinker

Traci Simmons, DrPH, MPH, CPH, CHES®, has over 15 years of experience driving transformational change across healthcare, public health, and non-profit networks. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a sustained ability to build cross-sector partnerships, innovative initiatives, and translate public health research into practical equity-centered strategies that improve the lives of communities disproportionately affected by structural inequities. Her work spans systems and organizational strategy, evaluation, mixed-methods research, community engagement, and implementation of large-scale multi-sector initiatives — each grounded in a commitment to advance fair and just opportunities to health equity and systems change.

Traci’s career reflects her deep and enduring connection to the intersection of public health transformation and innovation. She played a critical role in shaping national health programs, models, and initiatives through collaboration with national social services and impact organizations, community partners, and people with lived experience in health inequities. Across roles and settings, Traci has distinguished herself as a changemaker who brings clarity, structure, and innovation to complex problems. Whether strengthening community-based capacity, designing multi-sector collaborations, or implementing organizational strategies that advance health equity, she is consistently sought after for her expertise and ability to bridge systems, align stakeholders, and drive measurable impact.

Deeply Rooted Public Health reflects Traci’s expertise and commitment as a Doctor of Public Health (candidate), with scholarship focusing on the intersection of public health leadership, health equity, and care models rooted in community. She brings deep passion and rigor to the field of public health emphasizing policy, practice, and sustained, transformative systems change. Her philosophy is grounded in community power — “nothing about us, without us” — elevating community expertise, integrating real-world evidence, and co-creating strategies that shift power and improve outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, mindfulness practice, and being in nature.