With a career spanning over two decades, Elena Rosario has become a leading figure in public health, known for her strategic leadership and dedication to equity. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Meridian Public Health Group, where she oversees programs designed to improve health outcomes through innovative data practices and enhanced access to care. Elena’s leadership is characterized by her ability to strike a balance between operational excellence and a commitment to serving diverse and underserved communities.

Elena was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, in a bilingual household where education and healthcare were core family values. Her mother worked as a nurse, and her father was a science educator, instilling in her an early appreciation for public service and the importance of systemic health solutions. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Human Biology from Brown University in 2000, with a focus on urban health disparities. While at Brown, she led a neighborhood wellness program and researched maternal health and housing insecurity. She continued her education at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she completed a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management in 2005. Her capstone project on Medicaid reform received recognition from Harvard’s Center for Health Policy Innovation.

Starting her career as a Health Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Elena played a pivotal role in Medicaid expansion efforts and the design of community health needs assessments. Her work helped increase access to preventive care for low-income women. During her MPH program, she interned with the World Health Organization in Geneva, contributing to the revision of maternal health policies for Latin America and the Caribbean. This international experience enriched her understanding of global health systems and policies.

After graduation, Elena joined Boston HealthNet as Director of Program Development. She was responsible for launching mobile health clinics and mental health services focused on youth. She was promoted to Associate COO in 2008, overseeing partnerships with Boston Medical Center and expanding integrated care across a network of 13 clinics. Between 2010 and 2017, Elena served as Vice President of Strategy and Operations at the Commonwealth Center for Public Health Innovation. There, she led projects on data sharing, maternal health initiatives, and opioid crisis response, securing significant grants and piloting predictive modeling tools for emergency preparedness.

Since 2017, Elena has been the COO at Meridian Public Health Group, managing a staff of 300 across four states. Her accomplishments include the launch of a multilingual vaccine outreach and tracking system during the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of the “Health for All” Fellowship to prepare underrepresented youth for public health careers, and leading a modernization of electronic health records that improved data reporting speed by 40%.

Peers describe Elena as an analytical leader with a strong dedication to equity and inclusion. She founded Meridian’s Equity and Belonging Council, which shapes hiring practices, leadership development, and workplace culture. She also serves on advisory boards for several public health organizations and frequently speaks at conferences on community innovation and rebuilding trust in health systems.

When not working, Elena enjoys hiking, cooking, and mentoring students in Boston’s public schools. She resides in Jamaica Plain with her husband and two children. Elena Rosario continues to focus on creating resilient, community-driven public health systems that ensure access to care and opportunity for all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstance.