Maryjane Puffer has built her career around community and health over the past 40 years. She has expertise in program development, youth development, and public health programs. Her experience includes domestic and international program development. She has been involved in several research projects focused on women and children’s health including PCORI studies most recently in the development of the Health-e you application (AD-1502-27481 PI Tebb) and an NIH-funded RadX-Up grant, focused on student engagement regarding COVID-19 prevention (NIH/NICHD 1OT2HD108103-01 MPI Inkelas, Co-Is Dudovitz & Jackson). As an administrator, she has overseen a number of projects (e.g. staffing, research protections, budget), collaborated with researchers, and produced peer-reviewed publications to insure dissemination.

Maryjane has worked as a clinical nurse in hospitals, public health clinics, and hospice care. As a community health program director, she has started grassroots programs in communities where health disparity is significant and successfully maintained the requisite partnerships to ensure that the population was healthier and connected to resources. Her most recent position was managing the Title X program in California, the largest grantee in the nation. In her current role as Executive Director of The L.A. Trust, she coordinates, collaborates, and integrates programs and policies to advance the health and wellness of LAUSD students and oversees all 17 Wellness Centers. These Wellness Centers provide comprehensive, community-wide health, mental health, and social services for some of the most under-resourced communities in Los Angeles. In particular, she oversees the Student Advisory Boards, which have been active in peer education and schoolwide health education, and the Youth Ambassador Program, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, which will draw from the Student Advisory Boards and train students in navigation skills and mental health education.