Cynthia Gutierrez

Dr. Cynthia Gutierrez (M.D., MBA) is the director of public health at Pharr Public Health Department in the City of Pharr, Texas. She worked with the Hidalgo County Health Department as the lead epidemiologist with the division of Epidemiology and Surveillance to mitigate the impact of infectious illnesses on communities, for nearly seven years. Her role involved close collaboration with Mexican health officials on data and information exchange for the effective management of health hazards affecting the region on both sides of the border.

Gutierrez received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Universidad Mexico-Americana Del Norte (UMAN) in Reynosa, Mexico. She also holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA), with an emphasis in healthcare administration, from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of Texas-Pan American.

Her experience and education are the source of insight into the public health issues of the diverse border region of Rio Grande Valley. Gutierrez believes contemporary public health problems require new approaches that encourage innovation, creativity, and the building of new partnerships. That belief and the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic led her to spearhead the creation of a Public Health Department with the City of Pharr, where she currently serves as the director of public health.

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