Leandris Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA, serves as the Director for the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has decades of experience in community health, health disparities and social determinants of health. Dr. Liburd also serves as the agency lead in coordinating CDC engagement with HHS, other federal agencies, national organizations and the public on issues of health equity.
“I would like to see greater collaborations between the health sector and other sectors that impact health, such as education, businesses and urban planners,” shared Dr. Liburd.
Over the course of her life, Dr. Liburd has been inspired by many people, particularly her grandmother who wanted her to “be somebody,” her children and by the people she’s called to serve.
Dr. Liburd loves water aerobics and walking around Stone Mountain. She gets at least seven hours of sleep every night. Dr. Liburd also looks for things to laugh about, and describes herself as an introvert and a lover of poetry.
Her mantra is, “Just because it’s hard, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.” Be flexible, she encourages, but don’t give in and don’t give out.
Congratulations, Dr. Liburd, for being a “BlackDoctor.org Top Blacks in Healthcare” 2014 honoree!