Susan Nappi, DrPH, MPH

Susan Nappi is the Executive Director of the Office of Community & Practice (OC&P) and a lecturer in leadership and public health practice at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). With a diverse portfolio in public health practice and research, she has held several key positions in Connecticut, including Senior Director of Community Impact at the United Way of Greater New Haven; Executive Director of the Community Center of Excellence in Women’s Health (CCOE) at Griffin Hospital; and Practice Administrator of the Griffin Faculty Practice Plan. She has also served as a senior research associate, leading research teams at YSPH and the VA Alcohol Research Center. Her primary interest is building collaborative, mutually beneficial community–academic partnerships that address the social determinants of health through multidisciplinary approaches. In 2024, she received the Yale University Ivy Award for supporting the establishment of the Health Equity Fellowship initiative at YSPH. In 2026, she was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow in Public Health Practice by the National Academies of Practice (NAP), a lifetime appointment.

She currently serves as Principal Investigator (PI) of the New England Public Health Training Center at YSPH, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop and sustain a skilled public health workforce by providing free learning tools and support tailored to the unique needs of New England. She also serves as Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of the Connecticut Public Health Workforce Development initiative, a contract with the Connecticut Department of Public Health that aims to diversify and strengthen the state’s public health workforce through training and student placements with local and state public health agencies. In addition, she represents YSPH in the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Practice Section and served as an expert panel member (2021–2024) for Framing the Future 2030: Education for Public Health (FTF 2030), Fostering Community Partnerships.

A first-generation college graduate, Susan earned a BA in Psychology from the State University of New York at Purchase, an MPH in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from Yale University, and a DrPH in Public Health Leadership from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health.