.jpg "Mariel Torres Mehdipour, MPH photo")
HMAC Equity Officer
Seattle and King County
Mariel Torres Mehdipour’s experience in public health has spanned over 20 years and has focused on improving health and equity through community-led efforts. Currently serving as the Equity Officer in the County’s COVID-19 response, her role is to assure that the needs of marginalized communities are included in policy decisions made by Area Command and response efforts through all Health and Medical Area Command sections. When not serving in this capacity, Mariel is the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Unit (CDIP) Manager for Public Health – Seattle and King County where she is responsible for overseeing its community outreach and planning programs. She is closely involved with the county’s efforts to prevent chronic disease and injuries through the use of innovative public health practices that address the social determinates of health affecting the health outcomes and quality of life for King County residents.
Originally from Los Angeles, California; Mariel is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and is the first in her family to attend college and graduate with an advanced degree. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Italian from the University of California, Los Angeles. She then went on to receive her Master’s in Public Health in 1997 from the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina where she focused on Health Promotion and Education. After living in both South Carolina and Philadelphia for five years, she returned to California where she worked at the UCLA, School of Public Health before moving to Bakersfield to work at the Kern County Public Health Services Department as a Health Educator for the Injury Prevention Program and later as Public Health Planner, Health Promotion and Public Information Director, and as the Director of Community Wellness.
Thursday, August 27, 2020
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT