Kristen Herlosky is a public health researcher and quality improvement specialist with over a decade of experience partnering with marginalized, rural, and indigenous communities. Her expertise includes health systems evaluation, policy research, program implementation, and developing evidence-based standards for healthcare providers. At Civic Directive, she serves as Principal and Technical Lead for needs assessments, community engagement, and capacity-building projects.
Prior to joining Civic Directive, Dr. Herlosky served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health, where she evaluated public health intervention programs addressing maternal-child health disparities. In this role, she led multidisciplinary teams of researchers and graduate students, overseeing community-based interventions in underserved urban communities. Her leadership facilitated cross-sector collaboration among physicians, midwives, community-based organizations, and public service agencies, resulting in improved health outcomes and sustainable partnerships.
Early in her career, Dr. Herlosky served as Principal Investigator on National Science Foundation-funded projects in East Africa, partnering with indigenous Hadzabe communities on maternal health research. Her work focused on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes, healthcare access, and the impacts of health policy on vulnerable populations. She has managed multi-site research projects, provided technical assistance to health systems and community organizations, and conducted rigorous mixed-methods evaluations using implementation science frameworks.
Kristen earned her PhD and undergraduate degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She maintains certifications as a Full-Spectrum Doula, Evidence Based Birth Instructor, and LUMA Human-Centered Design Facilitator. She has also published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, including Frontiers in Public Health, BMC Public Health, Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, Sleep Health, and Biological Research for Nursing.