Public health education continues well beyond graduation, shaping how professionals lead organizations, strengthen the workforce and respond to changing community needs.

That connection between education and practice was evident at the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ 2026 NACCHO360 Annual Conference, held July 14-17 in Louisville, Kentucky. The gathering brought together representatives from local health departments, academic institutions and public health organizations to exchange ideas and examine issues affecting communities across the country.

Manuela López, Ed.D., M.B.A., represented the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and shared information about its educational and professional development programs. The conference also provided an opportunity to reconnect with Meenakshi G. Brewster, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, a three-time University of Miami graduate and longtime local public health leader.

Preparing the Public Health Workforce

As senior program manager for the M.D./M.P.H. program, Dr. López supports interdisciplinary training for students preparing to work across medicine and public health. She also contributes to the Building Expertise in Administration and Management program, known as BEAM, which develops leadership and administrative skills among public health professionals.

At NACCHO360, Dr. López highlighted how these programs prepare students and professionals to work across disciplines, lead organizations and address workforce needs within public health.

 “Being able to represent the department was a meaningful professional opportunity,” Dr. López said. “It highlighted the impact of the work being done within our department and the importance of sharing the innovative initiatives that support public health education, leadership development and workforce preparation.”

The conference also allowed her to learn directly from professionals working in local health departments and other public health settings. She said the experience reinforced the importance of maintaining connections between academic programs and the organizations confronting public health challenges in their communities.

Applying Public Health Training Through Local Leadership

Dr. Brewster’s career illustrates how public health education can inform leadership across clinical care, government and community health.

She earned a B.S. from the University of Miami in 1997, an M.P.H. in 1999 and an M.D. in 2003. For the past 14 years, she has served as health officer for St. Mary’s County, Maryland, where she leads the county health department.

Dr. Brewster also serves as co-chair of the Maryland Commission on Public Health, which develops recommendations for strengthening the state’s public health system and monitors their implementation. She has served for approximately five years on NACCHO’s Board of Directors and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

Board certified in family medicine and sports medicine, Dr. Brewster previously held leadership positions with the Indiana Department of Health and served on the faculty of the Indiana University School of Medicine.

At NACCHO360, she contributed to three sessions exploring different dimensions of local public health leadership. She participated in a panel on rural health transformation and co-presented “Your Story Matters: Transforming Local Public Health Achievements into National Knowledge,” which examined how practitioners can translate their experiences into published scholarship.

She also co-presented “Local Up: LHDs Leading Public Health Transformation for the State,” a discussion of how local health departments can help shape and implement broader changes within state public health systems.

Recognizing Local Public Health Leadership

During the conference, NACCHO presented Dr. Brewster with the 2026 National Champion of Local Governmental Public Health Award. The national organization represents nearly 3,000 local health departments across the United States.

The award acknowledged her contributions to local public health in St. Mary’s County as well as her involvement in statewide transformation efforts, workforce development and national public health leadership.

Her recognition also brought added significance to the University of Miami’s presence at the conference. Dr. Brewster said she hopes the University continues participating in NACCHO360 and that M.P.H. students will have opportunities to attend future conferences and learn directly from local health professionals.

“Public health education must be informed by what communities and local health departments are experiencing in real time,” said Viviana E. Horigian, M.D., M.H.A., vice chair for education and professor.

“Having Manuela at NACCHO360 gave us a direct connection to those priorities, while alumni leaders such as Dr. Brewster demonstrate how public health training can be translated into policy, stronger systems and measurable community impact. These relationships help us prepare students for the field as it exists today and for the leadership it will require tomorrow,” she added.

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published August 10, 2026.