T. Justin Garoutte, MPH, CPH

Tell us about yourself!

With over eight years of experience in public health, I am passionate about promoting health equity and social justice with marginalized communities across New Mexico. I am pursuing my Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree in health equity and social justice. I have co-authored multiple publications on Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), employee engagement, and program evaluation, and I have served as a policy advocate and leader for various public health associations and initiatives. I was honored to be named 40 Under 40 in Public Health by the de Beaumont Foundation in 2021. I aspire to continue breaking down barriers for health and building power through community organizing and policy advocacy. I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my cat Zucca, and you can find me biking around town, playing volleyball with friends, or baking sourdough cracker and bread to rest and recharge.

Why did you pursue a DrPH?

To build upon my MPH skillset in health equity and social justice and to set myself up for governmental public health leadership positions.

What are you currently excited about in your job?

Learning about social cohesion in local schools and how it impacts student health and well-being.

If you could write a book about your life, what would the title be and why?

The Queer Path: Breaking Down Barriers for Health One Move at a Time; This is my title because I have never gone directly from point a to point b and so on. I have always gone from one opportunity to another and moved on from those that no longer were enjoyable nor supportive of my values. I am also a gay, genderqueer Latine guy, so the queer part is also a representation of that part of me. The breaking down barriers for health part is my leadership motto that I developed in my DrPH leadership course, and it’s my north star each day.

What is something interesting about you that we should know?

I host weekly trivia events as a Geeks Who Drink Quizmaster in Santa Fe.