Vincent N. Lafronza, Ed.D., M.S.
CommonHealth ACTION
Co-Principal and Founder — CommonHealth ACTION, Washington, DC.

Beginning his human services and public health career in 1985, Dr. Lafronza worked in the fields of gerontology, behavioral health, community environmental health intervention, and public health systems development in communities, states, and American Indian/Alaska Native nations. Current clients include the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and the New Orleans-based Center for Empowered Decision Making. These activities include technical assistance for public and community health capacity building programs, especially geared to eliminating health disparities and also to assist in Katrina recovery efforts. He is actively engaged in supporting health systems redevelopment efforts in New Orleans and also provides technical assistance to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute and its vast array of Place Matters partnerships focused on addressing the social determinants of health. He is also working with partnering organizations to advance population aging preparedness in the U.S.

Dr. Lafronza held a three-year, senior appointment with the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), where he provided overall direction for NIHB’s public health capacity building programs. Prior to founding CommonHealth ACTION, Lafronza spent a decade with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) where he was responsible for program portfolios in excess of $14M, which also included directing the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Turning Point National Program Office at NACCHO. He has worked with and provided technical assistance to dozens of community partnerships nationwide as well as partnerships in the Caribbean. Other NACCHO appointments included responsibility for environmental health programming, public affairs and membership, model practices development, and research and evaluation activities.

Prior to his work with NACCHO, Dr. Lafronza held a federal appointment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, where he provided technical assistance to communities affected by hazardous waste. He also managed a community-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to delivery of direct human services. After completing a Master of Science degree, Certificate of Gerontology, three years of adjunct faculty experience, research experience on several NIH grants, as well as on Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Engineering Postgraduate Research Fellowship in Public Health, he continued his studies in community and professional continuing education and earned his doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Lafronza is an active member of the American Public Health Association, the Association of Community Health Improvement, a Salzburg Fellow, and maintains strong ties with public health practitioners throughout the U.S. and numerous countries. He is a co-producer of Race, Class, and Health, a national satellite event engaging over 377 communities in pursuit of health equity, and a co-supervising producer for the Turning Point documentary, The Edge of America: Struggling for Health and Justice.

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