Lara Quintanar is a health analyst with substantial experience examining environmental, social, behavioral, and occupational factors impacting human health. She brings a background in health program evaluation, quantitative and qualitative analysis, biostatistics, and mixed-method research design. She has a strong drive to identify risks to human health and reduce health disparities domestically and globally.

Lara serves as part of an interdisciplinary team conducting in-depth background research to determine Veterans’ mental and behavioral health needs, assess the current mental healthcare capacity of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and identify access barriers. She also serves on a team that provides strategic planning and training development to expand and enhance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts at the Food and Nutrition Service in the United States Department of Agriculture.

Before joining A-G Associates, Lara worked as a health coach, where she utilized behavior change concepts to guide her clients in setting meaningful goals and developing strategies for achieving them. During this time, she strengthened her written communication skills and became adept at tailoring health information for a variety of audiences. She also gained extensive experience in data analysis, monitoring and evaluation plan development, and data collection instrument design while serving as an intern and later a monitoring and evaluation consultant at a global health non-profit.

Lara earned a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering at her local food bank and is a dedicated member of both the American Public Health Association and the Society of Public Health Education.