Rebecca Pendergrass, MPH, is a public health specialist III in the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention (OMH-HDP) at the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH). Her efforts in this role focus on addressing rural health disparities in New York State through research and collaboration with both internal and external partners. In this role, she has also contributed to the development of a race and ethnicity data collection toolkit for healthcare facilities and the launch of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer + Lecture & Learn series for NYS DOH staff. In previous roles with the NYS DOH, Pendergrass has worked on improving access to oral health and mental health care in pediatric populations. She obtained her master’s in public health with a concentration in health policy, management, and behavior from the School of Public Health at the University at Albany, in May 2023, and continues to pursue her passion for public health, expanding access to care, and improving population health outcomes.