Krista Woodward, MPH, MSW, was a Program Officer in the Public and Patient Engagement Department at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) from November 2015 to August 2021.

In this position, she managed the PCORI Ambassador Program, which is a national volunteer network shifting the culture of health research to be more patient centered. She also supported PCORI’s science of engagement efforts through the development of tools and resources for PCORI-funded awardees and the public. She also coordinated patient and stakeholder engagement efforts within PCORI Merit Review and Peer Review.

Before joining PCORI, Woodward was a public health research technician at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She provided research support on a three-year qualitative study that investigated the preferences of minority women regarding consent models for biomedical donation policies and practices. During Woodward’s graduate school experience, she had internships at community-based and nonprofit organizations, assisting with project design and policy evaluation efforts. This includes her time at the National Center for Healthy Housing, where she supported the policy director with national and state-level healthy housing initiatives that targeted childhood lead poisoning, asthma, and indoor safety measures.

Woodward received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Lafayette College and her dual master of public health and master of social work degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.