Michelle Sandoval-Rosario: Championing Health Equity Across Borders and Communities

By Cesar A Reyes

With over two decades of service in public health, Dr. Michelle Sandoval-Rosario has built a career rooted in advocacy, science, and commitment to equity. Currently at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), she leads efforts to prevent and respond to communicable diseases along the U.S.–Mexico border, an area where health disparities are both urgent and complex.

“Our goal is to improve health outcomes, not just along the border, but among all mobile and underserved populations,” Dr. Sandoval-Rosario states. “Communities deserve access to care and they deserve to be heard.”

Her federal service spans leadership roles such as Regional Director of the PACE Program and Deputy Director of HIV.gov at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. In these roles, she led innovative strategies to fight the HIV epidemic, elevating community voices and launching the first national Spanish-language HIV viral suppression campaign.

“Policy must reflect lived experience,” she says. “True impact comes when communities are part of the solution.”

Earlier in her career, she responded to HIV outbreaks in rural Indiana and led epidemiological efforts in Arizona and South Texas. Globally, her work has reached Africa and Latin America, addressing issues from HIV to Ebola.

A first-generation Latina with Mexican and Colombian roots, Dr. Sandoval-Rosario’s personal and professional mission is clear: “Representation matters. I see it as both a responsibility and an honor to ensure Latino voices and the LGBTQA+ community are present at the decision-making table.”

With advanced degrees from UC Irvine, Boston University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Sandoval-Rosario blends academic rigor with heartfelt purpose, leading with science, compassion, and community.