Jylana L. Sheats

Jylana L. Sheats, Ph.D., MPH is a behavioral scientist, educator, and public health leader who bridges academia, nonprofit, and industry sectors to address complex societal challenges. She is a Clinical Associate Professor and Course Director for Social Innovation at the Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, where she trains future public health leaders. As Associate Director of the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program, she provides strategic guidance across the program’s four pillars: global science, public trust in science, science and community, and science policy.

Sheats' research spans individual to population-level health challenges, focusing on chronic disease-related behaviors, food access, and the mental health impacts of climate change. She leverages behavioral science and participatory research methods to ensure that those most impacted by systemic challenges are central to shaping solutions. She also emphasizes community and public engagement in science, bridging research, practice, and policy.

Dr. Sheats serves on the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) advisory board and is a science advisor for See Change Institute, the Climate Mental Health Network, and ClimeOn. She holds degrees from Spelman College, Tulane University, and Indiana University-Bloomington and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford School of Medicine.