Sylvette A. La Touche-Howard

Dr. Sylvette La Touche-Howard is a dynamic educator, visionary leader, and bridge-builder whose career at the University of Maryland spans nearly two decades. A proud UMD alum, she serves as Clinical Professor and Assistant Dean of Public Health Practice and Community Engagement in the School of Public Health, where she directs the Office of Public Health Practice and Community Engagement (PHPCE) and co-leads efforts to strengthen authentic, equitable partnerships connecting students, faculty, and communities across Maryland and beyond.

A Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice in Public Health, Dr. La Touche-Howard is nationally recognized for transforming theory into practice through a community-engaged approach to public health education. She serves on the National Academies of Practice selection committee, and most recently served as Co-Chair of the Communication and Public Engagement Workgroup for the Maryland Commission on Public Health, which produced Building the Future of Maryland Public Health (2025), a 10-year roadmap for the state's public health priorities. Building on that work, she led the charge in establishing the School's inaugural academic-health department partnership with the St. Mary's County Health Department, a Do Good Incubator initiative aligned with the Commission's recommendations. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Quantum Computing Breakthrough Against Cancer Center, a NIST-partnered initiative advancing the use of quantum computing to accelerate cancer research and health equity outcomes.

In her teaching, Dr. La Touche-Howard is known for creating dynamic learning environments that bring public health to life. As lead instructor for Foundations of Public Health at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, she engages more than 400 students each semester through courses grounded in inclusion, innovation, and impact. She has also taught Education Abroad courses, including programs in Kenya and, launching in January 2027, Ghana and consults on community-engaged pedagogy at the local, state, and national level. She has mentored dozens of graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants, hosted student interns through PHPCE, and guided research projects across the Gemstone Honors Program, Individual Studies Program, and MPH capstone experiences.

Dr. La Touche-Howard serves on the Executive Advisory Team for the Prince George's County Health Department's SAMHSA-funded Systems of Care grant, which provides wraparound services for transition-age youth and young adults. She also directs the John O'Hara Tobacco Free Ambassador Program, a community-based participatory research initiative building youth leadership around tobacco-free advocacy, and serves as Co-Principal Investigator of the AI-Powered Community Simulator, an initiative merging artificial intelligence, health equity, and community-based experiential learning to prepare the next generation of public health leaders. Her work is anchored in the belief that collaboration between academia and community is essential to lasting change and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing public health and nurturing change makers who Do Good for the Greater Good.