Deborah Klein Walker
Walker was elected on December 13 at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in Philadelphia. APHA represents more than 50,000 members from more than 50 public health occupations. More information is available at http://www.apha.org. President-Elect Walker’s term begins in November 2006.
Walker currently co-teaches ID 506— Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Public Health in the U.S. with HSPH Professor Howard Koh. "Dr. Walker is universally respected for both her academic insight and her enthusiasm for public health practice," said Koh. "She is particularly noted for her commitment to social justice, and is nationally recognized for her work in maternal and child health, focusing on the reduction of infant mortality. She is one of the most dedicated public health servants I have ever met."
Koh worked closely with Walker when he was Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health from 1997 to 2003. Walker served a total of 15 years at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, spending her last four years there as Associate Commissioner for Programs and Prevention. In that role, she was responsible for programs in maternal and child health, health promotion, and disease prevention, including working on a highly successful tobacco control program. Her duties also included community health programs, such as prevention of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse, as well as programs for minority health, data integration, and information systems.
In 2004, Walker left the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to become a principal associate in health services research and evaluation at Abt Associates Inc. in Cambridge, MA. The company applies scientific research and technical assistance expertise to a wide range of social, economic, and technological policy issues.
Before becoming an adjunct lecturer at HSPH, Walker was an associate professor in the Departments of Maternal and Child Health and Behavioral Sciences (now merged as the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health) from 1985 to 1988. Before then, she served as an assistant professor and lecturer/research associate.
Her public health career began as a special assistant to the Director of the Office of Research and Evaluation Planning at the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and later she served as a consultant on youth and family issues. She has a doctorate in human development and a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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