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CUNY SPH is proud to announce that Alecia McGregor, PhD, has been appointed as the inaugural Byllye Avery Endowed Professor for Sexual and Reproductive Justice. Named for Byllye Avery, a pioneer in women’s health and foremother of the reproductive justice movement, it is the first endowed faculty role in a public health school focused on sexual and reproductive justice. Dr. McGregor will start the position at the end of September 2026.
An interdisciplinary scholar with expertise in health systems, maternal health equity, and community health, Dr. McGregor’s research has examined the political and structural determinants of health inequalities and health care access in the United States, Brazil, and the Caribbean. A central strand of her work investigates the causes and consequences of urban hospital closures and reconfigurations, with a specific focus on how obstetric unit loss impacts racial/ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes.
Dr. McGregor joins us from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she was faculty in the Department of Health Policy and Management while concurrently serving as a Board member on the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. Prior to that, she was a faculty member in the Department of Community Health at Tufts University, affiliated with the School of Medicine, Africana Studies, and the Science, Technology and Society Program. Dr. McGregor currently serves as the co-Chair of the Maternal Health Access and Birthing Patient Safety Task Force in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is active in state-wide and local advocacy work related to health care access.
Dr. McGregor has authored and co-authored work in a diverse range of social science and health journals including the Dubois Review, the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology MFM and her research has been featured in leading national media outlets.
In this role, Dr. McGregor will provide visionary leadership in advancing research, teaching, and practice in sexual and reproductive justice and health policy while collaborating with school administrators to coordinate the recently launched Master of Public Health concentration in sexual and reproductive justice and health.
“We’re delighted to welcome Dr. McGregor as she inaugurates this professorship,” says Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. “Her extensive scholarship in health systems, maternal health equity, and the political and structural determinants of health makes her exceptionally well suited to the role.”
The endowed professorship was spearheaded by Terry McGovern, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs.
“This appointment is the culmination of years of work to make this professorship possible, and I am proud to say Dr. McGregor is the scholar and leader this moment calls for,” says McGovern. “She is a rigorous researcher, a committed advocate, and a true champion for the communities most impacted by reproductive injustice. We are thrilled to welcome her to CUNY SPH and know her teaching and leadership will be transformative for our students.”
“It is truly an honor to take on this position at a critically important time for public health. There’s no doubt that politics and trends in the healthcare market have created overwhelming challenges for marginalized communities navigating access to quality reproductive health care,” says Dr. McGregor. “As an educator, my work aims to ensure that students, policymakers and the public are equipped with the evidence and practical knowledge necessary to respond to these challenges. Alongside the incredible community at CUNY SPH and in New York, this work will center not only sexual and reproductive health but also address the deep inequities in gynecological care that patients face beyond their reproductive years. In this work, we learn from the tremendous example of advocates like Byllye Avery who forged innovative, community-driven solutions even in hostile political environments.”
For press inquiries, please contact Katherine.Hartley@sph.cuny.edu.
