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Jenna ​Gaarde, MPH

Lecturer, Berkeley Public Health Online
Jenna Gaarde is a Lecturer for OOMPH’s Anti-Racism and Racial Justice course (PH 215). Additionally, she is a Program Director at The Praxis Project, a national nonprofit organization that convenes and collaborates with community organizers to advance health, equity and racial justice.

Biography

Jenna Gaarde is from the Central Valley of California, and has spent most of her adult life in the Bay Area. Jenna is a Lecturer for OOMPH’s Anti-Racism and Racial Justice course. Additionally, she is a Program Director at The Praxis Project, a national nonprofit organization that convenes and collaborates with community organizers to advance health, equity and racial justice. She directs Praxis’ training, capacity-building, and technical assistance activities to center authentic community collaboration in public health and allied fields. Prior to joining The Praxis Project, she was the Senior Planner for Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health at San Francisco Department of Public Health. In this role, she was deeply engaged in anti-racism and racial equity efforts within local government.

Jenna has a strong foundation in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities that address the social determinants of health. She strives to integrate a social justice lens throughout her professional and personal life, and is on a continuous journey to recognize and positively leverage her own racial privilege. She dreams that our collective efforts from the past and present will create a transformed future of justice and liberation. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Master of Public Health from UC Berkeley. She aspires to have a green thumb, and loves to run (slowly), bike, and craft when she isn’t busy snuggling with her son, Julian.

Research Interests

  • Racial justice in public health
  • Structural interventions in public health

Education

  • MPH – Health & Social Behavior
    University of California, Berkeley
  • BA – Psychology
    University of California, Berkeley

Publications

Courses Taught

    • PH 215
    • Anti-Racism and Racial Justice Praxis

Additional Links