Mary A. Pittman, DrPH, is chief executive officer and president of the Public Health Institute (PHI) in Oakland, California. A nationally recognized leader in improving community health, addressing health inequities among vulnerable people and promoting quality of care, Pittman became in 2008 PHI’s second CEO and president since its founding in 1964. She has guided the development of a strategic plan that builds on existing PHI program strengths to achieve greater impact on public policy and practice in public health both in the U.S. and globally. PHI’s areas of focus include childhood obesity, prevention, the implementation of health reform, global health, the impacts of climate change on public health, the social determinants of health, the role of technology in health, increasing advocacy for the public’s health, and health workforce shortages. Under her leadership, PHI has been recognized as one of the 50 best nonprofit workplaces in the nation.

Pittman previously headed the Health Research and Educational Trust, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association, and the California Association of Public Hospitals. She received her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, and master’s degrees from UC Berkeley in public health and city and regional planning