As Public Health National Center for Innovations’ (PHNCI) director of Innovation, Reena Chudgar brings more than 15 years of direct public health experience to her efforts to support health departments and their communities in using innovation as a tool for transformation and to create equitable opportunity for optimal health. Her work centers around strategy and program implementation, and she is passionate about social and systems change, addressing root causes of historical and current racial and health inequities, and local and people-centered decision-making.
Reena aims to support public health by engaging in dynamic partnerships, fostering cross-sector collaboration, looking to community expertise, and advocating for public health needs. She previously directed the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO) Performance & Systems team. She has prior experience working internationally in both Ghana and Kiribati. Reena earned a Master’s in Public Health and a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Emory University.