Laura Chavez is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Principal Investigator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She is a mental health services researcher whose research focuses on understanding the influence of social determinants of health on mental health outcomes and equity for adolescents and young adults. Much of her work has focused on access to prevention and treatment services for mental health conditions among youth experiencing health disparities. Dr. Chavez serves as a principal investigator on grants from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute of Mental Health. Her research has been featured in major media outlets including CNN, NBC News, and PBS Frontline. She holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MPH and PhD from the University of Washington School of Public Health.