Mercedes Shanelle James, DrPHc, MPH, NBC-HWC

Mercedes Shanelle is a Human-Centered Systems Design & Implementation Strategist, National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, public speaker, and leader with 16+ years of experience across public service, health tech, and organizational systems.

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As an American Afro-Indigenous changemaker, her work explores how contemporary wellness models and systems often exclude Black and Indigenous communities—and how these systems can be redesigned to improve how people navigate and experience their environments.

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Mercedes is an incoming DrPH Candidate at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, focused on systems design, implementation science, and how environments shape behavior and quality of life.