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Episode #140 Courageous Public Health, With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
- Laura Hollabaugh
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- Dec 11, 2025
- 3 min read
Overview
In this powerful and heartfelt conversation, Dr. Charlotte Huntley welcomes Dr. Kristi McClamroch, founder and CEO of Courageous Public Health, to explore the transformative role of courage in the future of public health. Drawing from her 30-year career as an epidemiologist, nonprofit founder, and now podcast host, Dr. McClamroch shares how fear can serve as a catalyst for meaningful action and why courage is the key ingredient for rebuilding and reimagining public health systems post-pandemic.
Hear how Dr. McClamroch turned fear into momentum, founded her consulting practice, and developed a courage-based framework for workforce development and leadership transformation. This episode invites public health professionals and entrepreneurs alike to see courage as a daily practice an intentional act that fuels resilience, connection, and collective progress.
Meet Kristi McClamroch
Kristi McClamroch, PhD, MPH, is an infectious disease epidemiologist, public health strategist, and storyteller with three decades of experience leading research, programs, and people across academic, nonprofit, and government settings. She is the founder and CEO of Courageous Public Health, LLC, a consulting firm committed to helping women lead with authenticity, vision, and courage in a complex and imperfect public health system.
Dr. McClamroch’s journey through public health is rooted in both scientific expertise and lived experience. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MPH and BS in Mathematics from the University of Michigan. Over the course of her career, she has worked as a university professor, epidemiologist, program evaluator, youth development director, technical writer, and executive director. Her research has spanned global HIV/AIDS surveillance, adolescent sexual health, and social justice in underserved communities. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and served as a principal investigator on community-based grants, all while mentoring the next generation of public health professionals.
In 2024, Dr. McClamroch launched Courageous Public Health to center healing, justice, and personal transformation as essential components of public health leadership. Through keynote speaking, workshop facilitation, and podcasting, she creates spaces where women in public health can explore their stories, reclaim their power, and take unapologetic action for equity and systemic change.
Dr. McClamroch is also the host of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, where she interviews courageous BIPOC women doing the work of public health. Her guests are changemakers who are reshaping what it means to lead. Her voice is known for its honesty, warmth, and depth—reflecting her core belief that public health work is personal, and that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it.
When she’s not leading Courageous Public Health, Dr. McClamroch is writing her first book—a memoir weaving together personal narrative, ancestral trauma, and public health insight—leaning into her vision of courage, freedom, connection, and kindness, and living very much out loud.
Takeaways
Courage vs. Bravery: Bravery is acting without fear; courage is acting despite fear.
Fear as a Catalyst: Instead of letting fear paralyze us, it can propel us toward our vision and purpose.
Courage is Contagious: Just like public health interventions, acts of courage spread through communities.
A Call for Pausing, Not Stopping: Taking intentional pauses helps public health leaders process emotion and act strategically.
Rebuilding with Intention: Public health isn’t just being rebuilt—it can be reimagined into something stronger and more equitable.
The Power of Vision: Acting from a clear vision, not from fear, keeps professionals aligned with long-term impact.
Framework for Courageous Leadership: Dr. McClamroch’s model integrates evidence, energy, and empathy for healthier organizational culture.
Joy and Connection in Leadership: Finding joy is a radical act of resilience in challenging times.
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