40 Under Forty Awards 2024
Daniel Fitzgerald | 29
Director of Advocacy, American Lung Association
What is the biggest challenge currently facing your industry and how are you responding to it? The public health field is in a communications crisis. We can have the best science and interventions in the world, but if it’s not accessible to all and equitably rolled out, it doesn’t mean a whole lot. In my work, I have the honor of centering people and their health at the center of policy and practice change; to me, it’s about humanizing these big topics and making them relevant and meaningful to all Rhode Islanders.
What is the best advice you have ever received? My mom told me when I was young, “Be kind to yourself. You don’t have to save the world today; we can try again tomorrow.”
Where do you see yourself in five years? I see my husband and I renewing our vows for our 10th wedding anniversary on our local beach in Westerly surrounded by the people we love.
What was your first job? I shoveled manure at a horse farm and mowed lawns in my neighborhood.
What moment changed your life more than any other? Becoming a foster parent. It was shocking at how quickly all my priorities shifted and all my life experiences and passions came together perfectly in that moment to prepare us for the roller coaster ride that lay ahead.
What is your favorite Rhode Island food or drink? Del’s Lemonade (no straw of course).
What led you to pursuing a career in your current industry? Public health found me and I am so glad that it did. I was a young advocate who simply wanted to make the world around me a little bit better and a whole lot healthier.