Dr. Leslie Rodriguez is the Senior Director of Public Health Programs at Karna, LLC, and oversees the acquisition and management of all federal contracts. She has more than 20 years of experience working across the Public Health sector. Before her tenure at Karna, for nearly a decade, she led health communications for outbreaks and emergency responses, including measles and Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) as the Lead Health Communication Specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Leslie began her career working on community-based nutrition projects for low-income communities and serving as a Project Director for a wellness project in inner-city schools. Her work included designing, implementing, and evaluating lay health educator programs in Spanish and English about healthy eating, feeding practices for young babies, physical activity, and teen pregnancy prevention. As an established expert in emergency management, evaluation and health communication, disparities, maternal and child health, and nutrition, Leslie has authored several manuscripts on these subject matters.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and a Masters of Health Promotion and Behavior from the University of Georgia. She later received her Doctorate in Health Communications from her alma mater.

Publication Highlights

Provider insight on surmounting specialty practice challenges to improve Tdap immunization rates among pregnant women

Understanding barriers and predictors of maternal immunization: Identifying gaps through an exploratory literature review

Disparities in Tdap Vaccination and Vaccine Information Needs among Pregnant Women in the United States