Laura Abril, MPH

Experience

• 

  Macalester College

  Jan 2015 - Aug 2015

  Orientation Coordinator

  - Created and executed training curriculum to develop 79 student leaders over 6-day session- Bridged professional staff and student leaders to form a communicative, cohesive community- Designed and implemented new multicultural and inclusivity programming for 570 incoming students- Collaborated with every campus department to successfully schedule and implement New Student Orientation over 4 days, including soliciting topics and presenters for 24 workshops

• 

  Shared Capital Cooperative

  Feb 2015 - May 2015

  Development Impact Intern

  • Critically analyzed the community development outcomes of each loan in the fund’s portfolio• Outlined a loan structure and project plan for a microloan package accessible to small cooperatives

• 

  El Churo Comunicación

  Sept 2015 - Dec 2015

  Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs Intern

  - Facilitated with local staff to facilitate an eight-country, two-continent communication forum- Engaged and observed cross-cultural communication styles in workshops and social media

• 

  Macalester College

  Jan 2016 - May 2017

  Admissions Sampler Coordinator Assistant

  - One-student department dedicated to largest Admissions marketing experience of the year- Built creative spaces to foster connections and produce over 50% acceptance rate for visiting students- Prepared the campus community for over 500 visiting students and parents

• 

  Open Arms of Minnesota

  Jun 2016 - Jul 2016

  Chuck Green Civic Engagement Fellow

  - Awarded highly selective, 6-month fellowship including a semester-long seminar and summer full-time community-based consulting engagement with local nonprofit- Co-developed seminar curriculum with 11 classmates and facilitating professor, focused on democratic engagement in social and organizational change in the pursuit of equity and justice- Focused project on reciprocal community engagement between neighborhood and nonprofit partner’s urban farms and food kitchens, including on-the-ground best practice research on local food systems, community development, and benefitting neighborhood members Show less

• 

  Optum

  Jun 2017 - Apr 2025

  - Led development of consulting firm's network adequacy product with guided collaboration from senior leadership resulting in permanent inclusion in firm's capabilities- Program managed several multi-million dollar provider network consulting engagements - Managed key project deliverables and team of 14 members, assigned roles and responsibilities, and facilitated executive-level communication- Won health equity innovation challenge with 60% of finalist vote with idea “Addressing Unconscious Bias in the Healthcare Space;” program managed implementation of $25,000 grant for community partner- Involved extensively with internal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including development and execution of senior leadership accelerator program, “The Inclusive Leaders Cohort”- Founded “Colors of Mental Wellness” equity project addressing mental health stigma in Latinx community; advised summer intern cohort through project completion and leadership presentation- Completed Optum’s Consulting Development Program (CDP), which enables top young professionals to pursue a rewarding career in health care consulting. This fast-paced development program offers challenging and diverse project work, advanced training and mentorship, executive exposure, and a variety of leadership opportunities.Contributed to client projects 20 hours per week during full time 2-year Master of Public Health program. Show less

  • Optum Advisory Senior Consultant

    Mar 2021 - Apr 2025

  • Optum Advisory Consultant

    Sept 2019 - Feb 2021

  • Optum Advisory Analyst

    Jun 2017 - Aug 2019
• 

  Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center

  May 2023 - Aug 2023

  Graduate Training Associate

  Supported MHLIC's goals to reduce maternal health inequities in the U.S. through the 2023 National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium.Coordinated and moderated a panel at the virtual NMHIS called "Innovations in Maternal Health Equity and Justice."

• 

  UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

  Jan 2024 - May 2024

  Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights Concentration Ambassador

  One of two students selected to represent concentration in 2024 admissions and recruitment activities, including outreach to admitted students considering an EQUITY MPH (estimated 80 students)

• 

  UnitedHealthcare Community & State

  Apr 2025 - now

  Associate Director of Health Equity

  Oversee the Plan's health equity strategic initiatives end-to-end including vision, design, implementation, and evaluation.