Jacquelyn (Jacque) Caglia

Jacquelyn Caglia has 20+ years of experience in the public health and development sectors. As a Director on the Merck for Mothers team, she is responsible for strategic communications, learning & evaluation and U.S. programs for Merck’s global health initiative to help end preventable maternal deaths. Jacque sets the strategic direction for Merck for Mothers and manages relationships with collaborators and grantees to advance health equity and improve maternal health, including Safer Childbirth Cities. Prior to Merck for Mothers, Jacque was the Associate Director of the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she directed the knowledge management and communications activities of the Maternal Health Task Force, co-authored the Lancet Commission on Women and Health report, oversaw administration and operations and taught a course on gender and health.

Before Harvard, Jacque was Program Director at World Connect, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women and children through community-led solutions. Prior to this, she worked with the Institute for Community Health researching how race, ethnicity, language, and culture affect health and the quality of health care services. Jacque has worked with many organizations to evaluate their health interventions and communicate about their work, including the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy and Circle of Health International. She started her career in public health working on community outreach and case study development with the Montgomery County Health Department in Pennsylvania and with the Peace Corps as a community health specialist in the Dominican Republic. Originally from Pennsylvania, with roots in community organizing and service learning, Jacque holds bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Psychology and a master’s degree in Public Health from Boston University. She is fluent in Spanish and learning French.