Doctor of Public Health Student

Cora Trelles Cartagena, MPH

Public Health LeaderCora Trelles CartagenaHealth Equity Strategist

Bilingual (English/Spanish) public health leader with 15+ years of experience advancing health equity by leading national initiatives supported by federal agencies, pharmaceutical partners, and public health institutions.

Connect with CoraExplore Cora’s work

Professional Experience

01

Program Manager, GLOW Women’s Health Network & NextGen Young Adults’ Fellowship

Lead national HIV workforce development and leadership initiatives supported through partnerships with Gilead Sciences (GLOW), ViiV Healthcare (NextGen), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

02

HIV Systems Associate Manager, ESCALATE and ELEVATE Community Educational Programs

Directed strategic planning, implementation, evaluation, curriculum development, and continuous improvement for national public health initiatives, while delivering education through conference plenaries and workshops.

03

Senior Recruitment & Outreach Specialist / Vaccine Research Center

Supported NIH/NIAID vaccine clinical trials through community engagement, participant recruitment, and bilingual outreach for HIV, COVID-19, Ebola, RSV, influenza, and Zika research.

04

NHANES Traveling Bilingual Medical & Dietary Research Interviewer

Collected nationally representative epidemiologic, behavioral, and nutritional data supporting National Centers of Health Statistics (NCHS) / CDC public health surveillance and population health research.

Executive Profile

Translating evidence into practice
to improve health outcomes.

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) StudentTulane University · Leadership & Social and Behavioral Sciences · Expected 2028
Master of Public Health (MPH)University of Maryland · Public Health Practice & Policy
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)University of Maryland, Baltimore County · Minor: Psychology and Hospitality Management
AIDS 2026 Scholarship RecipientUnited States Delegate · International AIDS Conference · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Selected Publications & Awards

AIDS 2026 Scholarship Recipient

United States Delegate · International AIDS Conference · Scholarship Recipient · International AIDS Society (IAS) · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2026

The Lancet · Journal Article · 2022

Safety and immunogenicity of an HIV-1 prefusion-stabilized envelope trimer (Trimer 4571) vaccine in healthy adults: a first-in-human, randomized, phase 1 clinical trial

View the journal article

Selected Awards

2026

United States Delegate & Scholarship Recipient

International AIDS Society (IAS) · International AIDS Conference · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2019 & 2020

NIAID Merit Awards

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial · COVID-19 Sample Acquisition · HIV Gene Therapy Research Team

Selected Award

Excellence in Ebola Clinical Trial Recruitment

Kelly Government Solutions

Investing in Latina Women Is the Future of Ending the HIV Epidemic by Cora Cartagena

GLAAD

Investing in Latina Women Is the Future of Ending the HIV Epidemic

Cora Trelles Cartagena, MPH · GLAAD · September 25, 2025

Read “Investing in Latina Women”

Professional Experience

2024 – Present

National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) · Center for Public Health Education

Program Manager, GLOW Women’s Health Network & NextGen Young Adults’ Fellowship

2020 – 2024

National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) · Center for Public Health Education

HIV Systems Associate Manager, ESCALATE (HIV Stigma) and ELEVATE (Leadership Development) Community Educational Programs

2016 – 2020

National Institutes of Health · NIAID · Vaccine Research Center Clinical Trials Program

Senior Recruitment & Outreach Specialist

2007 – 2016

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey · CDC National Center for Health Statistics

Traveling Bilingual Medical & Dietary Research Interviewer

Education

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Student

Leadership & Social and Behavioral Sciences · Expected graduation: 2028

University of Maryland

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Public Health Practice & Policy

University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Minor: Psychology and Hospitality Management

coratrelles@gmail.comWashington, DC

Speaking & Collaboration

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