Cynthia Potter

Cynthia Potter is a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Health Studies at American University, Washington, DC, serving as Director of the MA in Public Health Innovation and Practice Degrees. With seven years of teaching experience, she instructs courses including Health Research Methods, Local to Global Health Policy and Systems, and the Health Justice Innovation Lab.

Her academic credentials include:

• Doctorate in Health Policy from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Master’s degree in Community Counseling from George Washington University

Dr. Potter’s research centers on program evaluation and improvement, women’s mental health, and psychological resilience, grounded in over a decade of social epidemiological work. She employs community-based participatory approaches to address health disparities, emphasizing equity and rigorous public health practice across local and global contexts.

Her distinguished awards comprise:

• Health Disparities Scholar designation through NIH
• Carl W. Tyler, Jr. Award for Public Health Practice excellence
• ASPH Fellowship at CDC/NCHS

As an educator, she mentors students through capstone projects and the Health Justice Innovation Lab, leveraging NIH-funded initiatives to advance public health practice. Her leadership in the Innovation Lab drives community partnerships for health equity solutions.

The Health Justice Innovation Lab operates as her primary research hub, developing interventions for DC-area health disparities through student-community collaboration in courses like HLTH-676.