Mass General Brigham’s Elsie Taveras, MD, appointed to the Boston Board of Public Health

Health system’s Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer sworn in at City Hall in Monday ceremony

(BOSTON) - Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham, has been appointed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to serve as a member of the Boston Public Health Commission’s Board of Health.

Dr. Taveras was sworn in by Boston city clerk Alex Geourntas on Monday, March 6, at City Hall. She will join the seven-member board as the city grapples with the long shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as addresses mental health, unhoused citizens, substance use, and other important health issues.

“I am honored that Mayor Wu has appointed me to the Board of Health,” said Dr. Taveras, who is also Executive Director, Kraft Center for Community Health and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “The pandemic has emphasized the critical need for making healthcare more equitable and accessible for the people of Boston. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board during this crucial moment in public health.”

Board of Health members provide oversight, guidance, and policy development to the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) to help the agency achieve its health goals for the city.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Taveras to the Board of Health, and look forward to working with her to protect, promote, and preserve the health and wellbeing of our residents,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “There are myriad public health issues in Boston unique to our children, and Dr. Taveras’ expertise in pediatric health and health equity will be a tremendous asset to our work as we confront these challenges.”

As the inaugural Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham, Dr. Taveras leads system-wide strategies, including Mass General Brigham’s United Against Racism initiative, to improve health equity and the health of local communities system-wide. Dr. Taveras is a leading expert in community health equity and disparities, childhood obesity, and maternal-child health. Her research and community health leadership have influenced the development of national programs to improve health outcomes and eliminate inequities for socially at-risk populations. She is a recipient of the Public Health Leadership in Medicine Award from the Massachusetts Association of Public Health for her work improving health and health care in community-based settings.