Anna Laurenza is responsible for coordinating and executing Healthi Kids’ initiatives to advance infant and early childhood mental health throughout the Finger Lakes region. She works closely with the Early Childhood Policy Director and Parent Engagement Specialist to develop strategies and tactics that center the importance of early child-caregiver relationships for lifelong health and wellbeing. Together, they conduct landscape assessments of infant and early childhood mental health-informed services and supports in Monroe and Wayne Counties, provide research assistance, conduct stakeholder interviews, coordinate logistics for Healthi Kids’ Building Foundations Workgroup and focus groups, support awareness building activities and special projects.
Laurenza brings a range of public health experience to Common Ground, including completing a graduate capstone project working with members from Action for a Better Community to address public health emergencies within community-based organizations. Focused on COVID-19, this project utilized analytical public health frameworks to assess the role of CBOs in addressing specific community needs. Working with the Healthy Baby Network during graduate studies, Laurenza conducted interviews within the organization to discover how individuals and teams adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and to new regulations.
Laurenza earned a master’s degree in Public Health and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from St. John Fisher College. In her spare time, she enjoys snowboarding, live music, yoga and baking.