Contact: lcohen@pcdc.org
Louise Cohen is the Chief Executive Officer of the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), a not-for-profit community development financial institution dedicated to expanding and strengthening the primary care safety net in the United States. PCDC provides capital and technical assistance to a wide variety of primary care providers, and advocates for improved and increased primary care access, capacity, quality, reimbursement, and capital resources in order to improve health outcomes, create healthier communities, increase health equity, and reduce overall health care system costs. Prior to assuming leadership of PCDC, she was Vice President for Public Health Programs at Public Health Solutions in New York City (2011-2015), where she oversaw a variety of programs to improve community health through food access and nutrition, women’s reproductive health, tobacco control, and child development. Ms. Cohen held successive leadership positions at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) from 1998-2011, including as Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Health Care Access and Improvement. Among her accomplishments at DOHMH, Ms. Cohen led the development and execution of Take Care New York, New York City’s first comprehensive health policy agenda. She also oversaw the Primary Care Information Project, which brought a public health and prevention-oriented ambulatory care electronic health record system to more than 2,500 primary care providers. Before her tenure at DOHMH, Ms. Cohen was Director of the Park Slope Family Health Center (now part of the NYU Lutheran Family Health Centers network). She served on PCDC’s Board of Directors from 2011 until she became CEO.