Laura L. Nervi, PhD, MPH, to Join College of Population Health Faculty

Laura L. Nervi, PhD, MPH

On Monday, June 3, Laura L. Nervi, PhD, MPH, will join the College of Population Health faculty. Nervi is an international health scholar with extensive experience in teaching, research, mobilizing resources, and working with multi-disciplinary teams in cross-cultural settings. She has focused her research on national and international health policies associated with health systems and services reform, the importance of community participation as a critical factor in these reforms, the composition, trends and engagement of the health workforce, and the technical and financial factors that strengthen health systems at home and abroad.

Nervi has worked in nearly every country of the Americas with universities, governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies, communities and nongovernmental organizations. She has led baseline studies and implementation of evidence-based health programs and policies, and built stakeholder networks for global health initiatives to contribute to the democratization of knowledge and to address health inequities that afflict underserved, low-income and vulnerable populations. Her academic background includes a PhD in medical anthropology, a master's degree in social sciences, a master's degree in public health, and a residency at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization's (PAHO/WHO) International Health Training Program.

Nervi has taught and performed research at the University of New Mexico in different periods since 2012. During her last appointment (2014-2017), she led the Office of Community Partnerships and Cancer Health Disparities at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, reaching underserved Hispanic communities through implementation research and community service in New Mexico and Central America.