Brief Bio

Dominique G. Ruggieri, PhD, as Capstone Director and faculty for the MPH program, enjoys collaborating on a variety of exciting and diverse projects spanning public health research, practice, and promotion. As a health communication specialist with expertise in qualitative research, she particularly enjoy opportunities to gain community insight, learning through others’ lived experiences, in order to help design tailored messages and public health programs. She believes that tailored health messages are an important first step toward improved understanding, engagement, and decision making about health behaviors. Additionally, her work through BonVie Health and Nutrition Consulting focuses on organizational public health consulting, as well as group and individual nutrition coaching. Her research, mentoring, and consulting work have been applied to numerous health areas, such as type-2 diabetes, smoking cessation, colorectal cancer, risk communication, clinical trial decision making, environmental health, school-aged health, exercise, trans health, pediatric obesity, stress management and mindfulness, and other areas. She feels so grateful to work alongside the impressive and diverse group of public health professionals, researchers, educators, advocates, and students that comprise Penn’s Center for Public Health.