Preparing the Public Health Workforce for the 21st Century
April 4, 2014
Lillian Shirley, BSN, MPH, MPA
Director for the Oregon Public Health Division
Ms. Shirley holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of the State of New York. She also holds a master’s degree in public health from Boston University and a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Ms. Shirley has been a local and a national leader in advancing public health. Most recently, she led the Multnomah County Health Department. Before coming to Oregon, she was the Director of Public Health for the city of Boston and was also the first executive director of the Boston Health Commission, where she led the agency through the establishment, design and organization of the new public health authority in Boston.
Ms. Shirley has been a leader in Oregon’s effort to transform our state’s health care system. While at Multnomah County Health Department and on the governing board of Health Share of Oregon, she helped launch one of the first Coordinated Care Organizations in the state. She also served as the vice-chair of the Oregon Health Policy Board, and has played a vital role in the state’s move toward a health care system that works better for us all.
Ms. Shirley has served on the boards of the Public Health Foundation, the Oregon Public Health Institute, Portland Sustainable Development Commission and served as President of the National Association of City and County Health Officials. She is also adjunct faculty at the OHSU School of Medicine. She received the National Public Health Institute’s Balderson Award and has been recognized by Research America as a public health hero.