Allison N. Winnike, J.D., serves as Director, Western Region, overseeing the Region’s strategic and sustainability planning, day-to-day operations, legal technical assistance, outreach efforts, and product development activities. Allison has an adjunct professor academic appointment at the UTHealth (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) School of Public Health and previously at the University of Houston Law Center’s Health Law & Policy Institute. She has extensive expertise in health policy (drafted numerous pieces of federal and state legislation); public health emergency preparedness and response (published two books); immunization law and policy; health information technology and telemedicine; and smoking laws.
A national-award winning expert in public health law, Allison received the American Public Health Association Law Section’s 2016 Early Career Award for Excellence in Public Health Law, given annually to an individual who demonstrates great promise as a future leader in the field of public health law and in recognition of contributions to research, teaching and mentoring, practice and advocacy. She also received the National Center for State Courts’ 2016 Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest awards presented by the organization, for significant contributions to the justice system as a result of public health emergency preparedness legal scholarship and outreach.
She previously served as President & CEO of the Immunization Partnership; Research Professor and Research Director for the University of Houston Law Center’s Health Law & Policy Institute; Health Legislative Aide in the U.S. Senate Office of the Majority Leader; and Health Staff Assistant in the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Public Health.
Allison has served on several boards and committees, including as Founding Director and Treasurer for the SAFE (Science and Families Engaging) Communities Coalition Board of Directors; Governing Councilor for the American Public Health Association (APHA) Law Section; Vice Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Health Law Section’s Public Health & Policy Interest Group; Chair of the Pandemic Vaccine Task Force; Conference of Chief Justices Pandemic and Emergency Response Task Force; ABA COVID-19 Task Force; University of Houston Law Center Health Law & Policy Institute Advisory Board; Immunization Law and Policy Collaboration where she co-chaired the Resources, Repository, and Curation Committee, and many other volunteer service roles.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Health Policy Studies from Rice University and her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center where she trained at the Federal Legislation Clinic. She is a graduate of the Leadership Texas Class of 2016, where she was nominated to join an elite network of outstanding women leaders, and the American Leadership Forum Class XLVI for health care leaders. She is also a member of the Texas Bar College, an honorary society of lawyers recognized for their professional skills and the quality of their service to the public.
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