Michael E. Bird, MSW, MPH

Michael E. Bird, MSW, MPH has over 25 years of public health experience in the areas of medical social work, health care administration, and public health policy.

After growing up in New Mexico, California, and Utah, Bird received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and master of social work from the University of Utah and worked as a medical social worker for a number of years before gaining his masters in public health from UC Berkeley School of Public Health in 1983. Bird is the first American Indian and social worker to serve as president (2000-2001) of the American Public Health Association (APHA). He has been involved in numerous projects and programs on a local, tribal, national, and international level.

Following his term at APHA, he served as executive director of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center in Oakland. Bird is the first American Indian to serve on the National Policy Council for AARP and is currently the public health programs director for Indian Health Council, Inc., a community health center serving nine tribes in rural north San Diego County.