Harold D Cox, MSSW

Harold Cox, is Professor of the Practice in Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). With a formal background in social work, he brings to public health a deep grounding in direct service, advocacy, administration, and transformational leadership across multiple domains.

Career & Impact:

Before joining BUSPH, Cox served for ten years as Chief Public Health Officer for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he managed the city’s health department and led major initiatives, including establishing one of the first city-wide tobacco-free policies and creating a regional emergency preparedness center covering 27 neighboring communities. He also served as Director of Client Services for AIDS Action of Massachusetts and held various leadership roles with the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

At BUSPH, he has held leadership roles such as Associate Dean for Practice and Director of the Activist Lab, which is a campus-community interface that connects students and faculty to local public health action. He has led key workforce-development efforts through the Local Public Health Institute (LPHI), the New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), and the School Health Institute of Education and Leadership Development (SHIELD), helping to train thousands of public health professionals.

Cox’s work has also shaped systems change. He has been a board member of the Massachusetts Public Health Council, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund, a past president of the Massachusetts Public Health Association and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, and has served on several advisory and legislative commissions focused on regionalization of public health services and cross-jurisdictional sharing, HIV/AIDS, emergency preparedness, and intellectual disabilities.

Teaching & Scholarship:

In the classroom, Cox has taught courses in leadership and public health management, served as co-director of the dual MPH/MSW program, and has designed innovative coursework such as “Homelessness: Stories, Solutions, Advocacy.” His scholarship focuses on public health systems, regional service provision, emergency preparedness networks, and the organizational context of essential public health services.

Values & Voice:

Cox’s work is grounded in the belief that public health is not only about technical capacity but about justice, equity, and civic engagement. In his article “The Winding Road to Equity,” he reflects openly on his personal and familial journey, and how it connects with the broader project of representation and opportunity in our society. Across his career, he has emphasized that training, advocacy, and community connection are integral to meaningful public health practice.

Recognition:

Among his many accolades, Cox has received the Milton and Ruth Roemer Prize for Creative Local Public Health from the American Public Health Association, the Rebecca Lee Award for Outstanding Commitment to Public Health from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Hilliard Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Massachusetts Health Officers Association. In recognition of his contributions, the City of Boston proclaimed April 12 as “Harold Cox Day.”

Engagement & Public Presence:

Beyond academia, Cox is an active storyteller and community volunteer. He serves at a men’s homeless shelter and at a food pantry and appears regularly on storytelling platforms such as The Moth and Story Collider. His public commentary and writing (for example, in the BUSPH “SPH This Week” blog series) reflect both personal insight and commitment to public dialogue around health equity.

Why This Matters for Students & Colleagues:

Harold Cox blends lived-experience in front-line service, high-level public health system change, and academic teaching and mentoring. For students, he offers a model of practice-oriented public health that prioritizes community voice, structural change, and the human stories behind data and policy. For colleagues, he exemplifies how university-community partnerships can meaningfully extend the reach and relevance of public health training and action.