Alessandra N. Bazzano, PhD, MPH

Alessandra Bazzano PhD, MPH is Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, and Director of Tulane's Center of Excellence in Maternal Child Health (CEMCH). As one of only 13 Centers of Excellence in the United States, CEMCH trains future leaders in the field of maternal child health, which seeks to address health equity among children, adolescents, women, people with disabilities, families, fathers, and LGBTQ+ communities using the life course approach to impact reproductive, perinatal, developmental and other key health outcomes. Dr. Bazzano has worked broadly in MCH, nutrition, and international health for more than 20 years with continuous external research funding from national and international agencies, and has deep experience in teaching and mentoring undergraduate, graduate, and early career trainees, leading to the Tulane University President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Bazzano applies an interdisciplinary lens to research, teaching, and service, informed by collaborations across professional boundaries, and has served as Carnegie Corporation of New York Professor of Social Entrepreneurship through the Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, supporting research on public health and equity-centered design thinking. Ongoing research projects include community- and school-based work on children's health and psychosocial development, impacts of COVID-19 on minoritized communities, health system and community-based approaches to chronic disease management and diabetes prevention, integrated social behavioral change through community influencers, and systematic reviews related to perinatal health, menopause, and the use of design thinking in public health. Dr. Bazzano works alongside colleagues in Nigeria, Cambodia, and Ethiopia on MCH & nutrition projects, and partners with organizations and public health professionals globally in public health training programs. Inside and outside the university, Dr. Bazzano is committed to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion, with past participation in the inaugural Tulane Leadership Institute Anti-Racism Leadership Program, as well as ongoing initiatives aimed at addressing oppression and social injustice.