Linda C. Degutis, MSN, DrPH

Linda C. Degutis, DrPH, MSN, is a deeply respected public health leader and proud DePaul alumna whose passion for the Vincentian mission has been embodied through decades of service to the College of Science and Health. Dr. Degutis regularly connects with students and alumni as a mentor, and currently serves as both a chair of the CSH Dean’s Advisory Council, and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. In 2021, through a transformative gift, she established the William J. Degutis Women in Science and Health Lecture Series, of which she was the 2025 keynote speaker. Through Dr. Degutis’ generosity and continued dedication to DePaul, she has ensured that female students, faculty, and alumni alike are celebrated by the College of Science of Health.

During her impressive career, Dr. Degutis was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellow for the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) and Chief Science Officer for the Avielle Foundation. At Yale University, she held faculty positions in the departments of Emergency Medicine, Public Health, Surgery, and Nursing after serving as one of the first trauma program coordinators in the US and working clinically in trauma and emergency care. Later, Dr. Degutis was Executive Director of Defense Health Horizons, a program of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, following her tenure as Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to her career achievements, Dr. Degutis is an internationally recognized leader for her policy and advocacy work focusing on prevention of violence and injury, as well as suicide prevention and intervention. She has been actively involved in policy initiatives to prevent firearm violence through the American Public Health Association (APHA) as well as CT Against Gun Violence. She has published numerous articles on injury and violence prevention and intervention, and served as a technical advisor for the film The Sweetest Land (2019). She was also the co-editor of APHA’s Gun Violence Prevention: A Public Health Approach (2021). She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a former president of APHA, and continues to serve on several non-profit boards.

Today, Dr. Degutis is a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health. Her honors include a Lifetime Achievement Award from RWJF Health Policy Fellowship Alumni, Distinguished Career and Public Service Awards from APHA, a Distinguished Alumna Award from Yale School of Public Health, and recognition as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health. She has now officially added Distinguished College of Science and Health Alumni Achievement Award to her accolades. Together these honors reflect a lifetime devoted to advancing public health, shaping policy, and inspiring future leaders.