Immediate Past-President
Chris Chanyasulkit is grounded in a strong belief in eliminating the structural barriers to equity for marginalized populations. Chris holds leadership positions with local, state, regional and national governance and civic engagement organizations, working to promote racial, gender, and health equity. She served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Massachusetts Asian American Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women where she advocated for the needs of Asian Americans and Women throughout the Commonwealth. Passionate about reproductive rights, she also served on the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) Advocacy Board of Directors from 2013-2019 and currently, serves on the PPLM Board of Directors for the medical center.
Chanyasulkit has served as a Human Services Specialist and Assistant Director of Diversity in the Massachusetts town of Brookline’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations. She designed and delivered graduate public health courses at the Simmons University Department of Public Health. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Temple University, where she teaches Public Health Advocacy in the College of Public Health. Chris earned a BA in Biology and Art History from Boston University, an MPH (with a concentration in maternal and child health care) from the Boston University School of Public Health, and a PhD in Political Science from Northeastern University, where she conducted research on health disparities.
In addition to her advocacy and scholarly pursuits, Chanyasulkit is Immediate Past Chair of the APHA Executive Board, an elected Library Trustee of the Public Libraries of Brookline, a Brookline Town Meeting Member, a Brookline Community Emergency Response Team member, a Brookline Medical Reserve Corps member, and a Brookline Community Foundation Board Member. Chris lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her husband, James, a software engineer, and their three children.