Conducting Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluations

Kendra Wilson is an Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Fellow in the Epidemiology Workforce Branch (EWB) in the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  In this role, she supports evaluation and selection projects of EWB’s fellowship programs including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives related to public health workforce development.  Before coming to CDC, she served as program coordinator for several training and research grants in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Texas A&M College of Dentistry.  Here, she also served as an advisor to the Dental Public Health Residency Program.  While working in the Cancer Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Kendra served in the role of public health and prevention specialist.  Prior to her public health career, she taught general college biology, nutrition and diet therapy, and middle school science.  She received her doctorate degree in public health practice from the University of North Texas Health Science Center and holds a Master of Science degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Xavier University of Louisiana.

Linda A. Baffo, DrPH, MPH, CHES has more than 12 years of experience conducting research and evaluation of public health programs funded by Federal agencies and national organizations. Her research and evaluation experiences address health equity through her work in chronic disease prevention and control, adolescent reproductive health, and school nutrition. She has drafted case studies, training materials, guidance documents, publicly available products, and reports in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has also facilitated guest lectures and presentations on culturally responsive and equitable evaluations with universities and professional organizations and in state and national conferences. Her passion for health equity stemmed from her own childhood experiences and from her pursuit of educational equity as a 5th-grade educator prior to her career in public health. Dr. Baffo earned a BA at Columbia University, MPH at Emory University, and DrPH at Georgia Southern University.