Alexandra Lightfoot

Alexandra Lightfoot, EdD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. She co-leads the Health Equity and Social Justice MPH concentration and directs the Community Engagement and Partnerships Core at the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (CDC Prevention Research Center). Her work centers on community-based participatory research (CBPR) and photovoice to address health disparities, particularly in maternal health, youth empowerment, and racial equity. Lightfoot has extensive experience collaborating with marginalized communities, including immigrant Latino adolescents and Black youth, to co-create interventions that promote health equity.

Lightfoot holds an EdD from Harvard University (1998), an EdM (1989), and an AB in American History and Literature (1983). She teaches courses on CBPR and community engagement, and has led programs such as the Raise Your Voice initiative in Jordan and South Africa. She has received notable awards, including the 2020 Delta Omega Faculty Award and the 2016-2018 Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar designation.

Her research spans maternal health equity, HIV prevention, and antiracist healthcare system reforms. Recent initiatives include implementing safety protocols for pregnancy-related hypertension and translating equity-focused interventions like ACCURE into maternal healthcare systems. Lightfoot’s work emphasizes building equitable partnerships and leveraging arts-based methods to amplify community voices.

Key publications highlight her focus on health equity, including studies on youth empowerment, nurse navigation in cancer care, and structural barriers to HIV services. She has secured grants such as a $12.5M CDC award for her center’s work. Lightfoot’s efforts in community engagement and policy advocacy aim to institutionalize antiracist practices in public health systems.