Dr. Linda Hudson is a public health educator and researcher with over 20 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating community health programs. Her work has focused on vulnerable populations, including low-income and communities of color, with an emphasis on primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases. Much of her research has applied qualitative methods and participatory approaches to address the prevalence of heart disease and poor health outcomes among black women. She was the Principal Investigator of an intramurally funded qualitative study designed to develop a curriculum to address the prevention of cardiovascular disease risk among African American women. The resulting program, Healthy Hearts for an Abundant Life, is a successful example of programming developed with and for Black women, based on their unique cultural experience in this country.

In addition, she was a co-investigator on a study to assess a novel, civic engagement-based approach (Change Clubs for Civic Engagement) designed to influence cardiovascular risk among the same population by improving individuals’ capacity for effectively engaging political and economic processes that affect their community. Training on capacity-building strategies facilitated participants’ ability to mobilize resources for credible and relevant change in their community environments.

In addition to bringing these skills and experiences to the CREST academic partnership at Tufts CTSI, Dr. Hudson is also the Community Engagement Research Unit Lead at Tufts Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice. Prior to coming to Tufts University, Dr. Hudson was Vice President for Community Health Initiatives for the American Cancer Society-New England Region. Dr. Hudson received her ScD and ScM from Harvard School of Public Health with a concentration in Health and Social Behavior and Planned Social Change; she received her MSPH from UMass Amherst with a concentration in Community Health Education.