Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Julie Elginer on Public Health Advocacy, Maternal Mental Health, and Fostering Inclusive Dialogue

The Executive Programs in the UCLA Department of Health Policy and Management is proud to spotlight Julie Elginer, Dr.PH, MBA, Associate Professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. A recipient of the top teaching evaluation scores across campus (consistently ranking in the top 3% of faculty) and a multi-year recipient of the “Outstanding Teacher of an Upper Division or Elective Course” award by the Public Health Student Association, Dr. Elginer exemplifies the highest standards of academic excellence, civic engagement, and student mentorship.

Her extraordinary contributions continue to earn top honors. Dr. Elginer was recently recognized with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award from Carthage College and the 2025 Bruin Excellence in Civic Engagement Award from the UCLA Alumni Association. In addition to her 2024 appointment by California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas to the Dental Hygiene Board of California, she serves on campus-wide advisory committees for the UCLA Barbra Streisand Center for the Study of Women and the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute.

Demonstrating her leadership in educational innovation, Dr. Elginer was selected for the 2024–25 academic year as an inaugural member of the UCLA Dialogue Across Differences Faculty Fellowship. She joined a select cohort of 17 faculty chosen from diverse disciplines across campus—including law, medicine, disability studies, art, writing programs, nursing, and sociology—to engage in complex conversations and develop strategies for promoting constructive, civil dialogue in the classroom. This interdisciplinary initiative reflects Dr. Elginer’s commitment to preparing students to navigate multifaceted healthcare and policy debates with empathy, rigor, and mutual respect.

We caught up with Dr. Elginer to learn more.

What is currently inspiring you in public health? Any words of encouragement for our ExecHPM community of students, faculty, and alumni?

“With the Lindsey Clancy trial dominating headlines and a topic of conversation among book clubs and WhatsApp group chats, the issue of maternal mental health is something that continues to be one of my primary areas of interest. I have been conducting community and legislative advocacy on maternal mental health for almost two decades including testifying before the California Legislature on this topic in 2011.

In 2023, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health introduced a first-in-the-nation state report card to identify areas of opportunity and measures. Since then, they have updated it annually, evaluating each state via 27 measures across four domains. The 2026 findings: no states received an “A” grade and the overall grade for the U.S. is a “C.” A huge reason that the Clancy case has gripped the attention of millions of women is that they see themselves in her plea for help. Systematically, we must do better to serve mothers during one of their most vulnerable times. Joy Burkhard and the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health are my sheros in this space. We need to have a national conversation about maternal mental health.

I have been teaching HPM 434 / CHS 430: Reproductive Health Advocacy for 16 years at FSPH, including four years in the EMPH program. For many students, enrollment in my class is the first time they learn about maternal mental health. Because I have been working in this area for almost two decades, I am able to connect students directly with advocates and policy makers. But it goes far beyond this topic.

We continue to build a network of future advocates who develop transferable skills to make meaningful progress in myriad reproductive health areas. Students in the Class of 2026 explored issues such as: mandating Medi-Cal coverage for menstrual products at LA Care; reducing disparities in fertility care among people of color in Los Angeles; countering Crisis Pregnancy Center misinformation in California; and mandating implementation of patient-centered contraceptive counseling standards for Medi-Cal providers.

Students often cite this as one of the most meaningful experiences in their graduate school career. Their dedication and passion inspire me.”

What do you enjoy most about teaching in the Executive Programs in HPM at UCLA? What makes this student community unique?   

“I absolutely love the cohort-based model in the EMPH program. It is a meaningful point of differentiation from other programs. I approach our time together in the classroom as colleagues who have been on different trajectories. We each have valuable lived experiences and professional insights to share, none more important than anyone else’s. I genuinely care about their whole person development and try to spend time with each person during office hours. I think it contributes to my long-lasting relationships beyond our time together in the classroom.”

Whether coaching case competition teams to first-place victories at national contests like Cornell University or leading policy initiatives across California and Washington, D.C., Dr. Elginer remains an invaluable mentor to UCLA students, alumni, and the broader healthcare community.

Dr. Elginer will deliver a keynote presentation at the United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Healthcare Professionals Annual Conference in October 2026.