Dr. Leah Alexander is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health within the School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. A proud alumna of Spelman College, she earned both her MPH and PhD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and brings more than two decades of experience in public health education, community-engaged research, and health equity leadership.

Dr. Alexander’s work is rooted in building transformative partnerships that honor community knowledge, amplify lived experiences, and advance equitable health outcomes. Her funded research has focused on HIV prevention and PrEP awareness among African American women and HBCU students, health promotion within faith-based organizations, public interest technology, and maternal health equity.

She is the founding Director of the HRSA-funded Maternal Health Excellence Research Center (MHERC), where she leads innovative efforts to strengthen maternal health research, education, advocacy, and community engagement to improve outcomes for Black mothers and families.

In 2024, Dr. Alexander co-founded the Public Health Arts and Technology (PHAT) Lab alongside colleague Ms. Cynthia Harris. The PHAT Lab is a bold and innovative initiative that merges art, storytelling, technology, and public health to elevate community voices and reimagine health education and research dissemination. Through creative, community-centered strategies, their work highlights and responds to the experiences, strengths, and needs of African American women across the lifespan.

Dr. Alexander lives in Nashville with her husband, Dr. Olayinka Otukpe, and their two brilliant yet poorly-spaced children, Iyanu (17) and Imisi (16).