About Jacquelyn
I came to public health asking why the same inequities persist.
I entered public health to better understand why some communities still face preventable barriers to health despite decades of programs, research, and institutional commitments.
More than twelve years later, that question still shapes my work. I have learned to look beyond individual behavior and isolated programs to the policies, institutions, relationships, histories, resource decisions, and forms of power that shape health.
That perspective influences how I lead, teach, learn, and work with others.
What Shapes My Perspective
Lived experience and practice has changed the questions I ask.
My perspective has been shaped across research, nonprofit leadership, healthcare, teaching, coalition-building, and community work. Moving among these settings has shown me how differently the same problem can look depending on where someone sits.
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Who defined the problem?
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Whose knowledge is most valued?
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Who has decision-making power?
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Who carries the burden of participation and implementation?
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What happens when institutional priorities and community priorities differ?
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What remains after the funding or formal initiative ends?
These questions help me move from broad commitments to equity toward the choices, structures, and relationships that determine whether those commitments actually change practice.
Professional Bio
Jacquelyn S. Dalton, MPH, is a public health leader, educator, and strategist with more than twelve years of experience across nonprofit, healthcare, academic, research, and community settings. Her work and scholarship focus on cultural humility, health equity, community health, collaborative leadership, and public health practice.
She currently serves as Senior Director of Special Projects & Initiatives at Health Leads and is pursuing doctoral study in Social Justice and Health Equity at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her broader leadership includes community, research, and public health roles in Nashville and nationally.