Lisa Ramirez leads our policy advocacy aimed at improving the lives of pregnant and postpartum Texans and their families. Her expertise is in public health strategies that keep families together and address drug user health.
Prior to her current role, Lisa spent fourteen years at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), serving as the Director of Maternal and Child Health Coordination in the agency’s Family Health Strategy unit, among other roles. At the agency, Lisa focused on developing redesign-oriented strategic behavioral, maternal, and family health policies. She led the state’s response to the opioid crisis and teams of subject matter experts committed to providing timely access to high-quality integrated care for low-income Texas residents. Lisa also developed and led initiatives that improved outcomes associated with maternal opioid use and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.
Before joining HHSC, Lisa provided direct care in a variety of clinical settings, drawing on her background in art therapy. She is a graduate of the Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute and the Health and Human Services Leadership Academy. While at HHSC she received an award for outstanding achievement, served on a federal expert panel on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and served on the board of directors for the National Harm Reduction Coalition. She currently serves on the coalition to eliminate Hepatitis in Texas, the Convene Travis County steering committee, and the Prenatal Opioid Exposure in Texas Study advisory committee. Lisa is also a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.
