December 16, 2016
Abigail Aiken is new City-County Joint Appointment; Dr. Guadalupe Zamora Reappointed by County
(Austin) – The Travis County Commissioners Court and the Austin City Council have approved the joint appointment of Dr. Abigail Aiken, MPH, PhD to the nine-member Central Health Board of Managers.
Aiken was approved by Travis County Commissioners on December 6 and the Austin City Council on December 15.
Dr. Guadalupe Zamora, who has served on the Central Health Board of Managers since January 2013, was reappointed for another four-year term by the Travis County Commissioners Court on December 6.
About Abigail Aiken
Aiken is an assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and a faculty associate at the Population Research Center. Aiken teaches social policy and her research areas focus on reproductive health and health policy, spanning several disciplines and combining backgrounds in biomedical sciences, demography, and public health. She’s currently conducting research on the measurement and meaning of unintended pregnancy, as well as voting behavior regarding reproductive health issues in the U.S.
Aiken was a part of the Community Care Collaborative Women’s Health Workgroup, a board of health professionals charged with improving women’s health care service delivery for Central Health and CommUnityCare in Travis County. Before that she worked for the Texas Legislature as a health policy analyst for the office of State Representative Carol Alvarado. Prior to UT, Aiken worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Office of Population Research and a lecturer in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton University.
Aiken received her medical doctorate from the University of Cambridge, her master’s in public health from Harvard University, and her doctorate in public policy from The University of Texas at Austin.
“Central Health’s mission matches my personal beliefs and professional experience,” Aiken said. “I am eager to apply my skills and insight from my experience in population research, as well as legislative barriers to health access. I believe this will help Central Health create a model healthy community.”
About Dr. Guadalupe Zamora
Dr. Guadalupe Zamora has more than 24 years of experience as a practicing physician, and splits his time between St. David’s Medical Center and his own family medicine clinic in East Austin, which he operates alongside his niece Dr. Belda Zamora. He has served as President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Travis County Medical Society and served on the advisory board for the Medical Access Program (MAP) prior to the existence of Central Health. Most recently he served as treasurer of Healthy ATX, a local organization that supports the improvement of the local health care system.
“I am honored to continue my work with Central Health,” Dr. Zamora said. “I’ve dedicated my career to caring for our low-income community. My experience serving our safety net population allows me to bring a unique and valuable perspective to our board of managers. We have done a tremendous amount of great work at Central Health, and I am excited about the challenges ahead.”
Aiken will take over the appointment formerly held by William “Kirk” Kuykendall, a member of Central Health’s Board of Managers since May of 2013. Kuykendall’s term expires at the end of December.
The Central Health Board of Managers is an all-volunteer board composed of four appointees from the Austin City Council, four appointees from the Travis County Commissioners Court and one joint appointee. Board members are appointed to four-year terms.