Terri D. Wright is the Director of the newly established Center for School, Health and Education at the American Public Health Association (APHA). The Center for School, Health, and Education focuses on health and social factors that influence educational success. The Center advances the well-being and educational success of the school age population through partnerships, policy, and advocacy that promote school-based health centers, increase access to physical and mental healthcare in schools, and establish lifelong healthy behaviors in the school age population. Previous to her work at the center, Terri served as a Program Director for Health Policy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she developed and reviewed the Foundation’s health programming priorities and initiatives. She provided leadership to the Foundation’s School-Based Health Care Policy Program (SBHCPP), which served as the basis for the Center for School, Health and Education at APHA. SBHCPP was designed to develop local infrastructure and skills needed in school-based health centers, empowering them to make local-state partnerships, build relationships with the community and develop key messages to inform legislators and policymakers. Terri also served as maternal and child health director and bureau chief for Child and Family Services at the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Terri recently co-edited and published a book entitled "School-Based Health Care: Advancing Educational Success and Public Health". This book is the first of its kind, and documents over 20 years of research, knowledge, and experience of school-based health care providers, researchers, and advocates. The volume recently received a three-star review from Doody’s Book Reviews, stating that “there are no direct comparisons to this book, as it offers a pragmatic point of view of school-based health centers coupled with evidence to support their existence”. Terri’s work with school-based health centers is the most recent expression of her tireless devotion to youth, particularly the most disadvantaged and underserved.