Brenda A. Leath, DPS, MHSA, PMP

As the Executive Director of the Center to Advance Community Health & Equity at the Public Health Institute, Dr. Leath is dedicated to the mission of promoting health and social justice. Her center’s initiatives are deeply rooted in the commitment to uplift historically marginalized populations and address the systemic inequities that have long impeded their access to quality health care and overall well-being. By spearheading programs that prioritize inclusion, community engagement, equity-driven policy advocacy, and innovative health solutions, the Center to Advance Community Health & Equity strives to create a more just and inclusive society. The work is not only about improving health outcomes but also about fostering resilience and empowerment within communities that have been underserved and overlooked.

Brenda A. Leath is a biomedical ethicist and health policy strategist with a career spanning more than 30 years in the healthcare industry. Dr. Leath’s career reflects a continuous and piercing focus on the pursuit of health equity through her work in various settings—academic medical centers, public policy, corporate research, and nonprofit organizations. Among her accomplishments include various leadership positions, special appointments, and recognitions such as President & CEO of Leath & Associates, Inc.—where consultant engagements focus on public health, health equity and quality improvement, maternal and child health, and health disparities research. She is the Senior Consultant on Health Equity, Research, and Ethics to the Tuskegee Macon County Community Foundation. She was formerly a Senior Study Director and the Founding Director of the Center on Health Disparities and Health Equity Research at Westat, Inc.; President Emeritus of the National Consortium for African American Children (NCAAC); Associate Director of Special Population Initiatives at the congressionally established National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality, where she founded NCAAC as an initiative; White House Appointment to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCID) by United States President George W. Bush. She has numerous organizational affiliations including with the American Public Association’s Health Informatics Information Technology Section; the Standards Accreditation Committee of The Task Force for Global Health, Inc, MedSurplus Alliance; and the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity.