Lara has over been working for over two decades as a public health professional experienced in social/behavioral community-based intervention research and health systems strengthening in conflict-affected settings. Currently based in Washington, DC, Lara has lived and worked in Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Chad, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, and Switzerland. As the Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Health Unit at IRC, Lara oversees the health research and innovation portfolio, strategic program development opportunities, and key global projects. She holds an AB from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, a BSN from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, and an MHS and PhD from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.