Mike Lawrence, MA, is the Communications Manager for the NCDI Poverty Network and the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Lawrence joined the team in September 2024 after spending three years in local government for the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, as administrative manager in the Health Department and city spokesperson in the Mayor’s Office. He spent the previous four years on the marketing and communications team for Partners In Health. As a senior writer, he focused on the organization’s work to strengthen health systems and advance health equity in Rwanda, Malawi, and Lesotho.

In the fall of 2022, Lawrence had a significant medical scare involving heart disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. While his experience was a fraction of the lifelong challenges faced by the people whom the NCDI Poverty Network serves, the world-class care he received at Brigham and Women’s Hospital—and the fact that he was able to be med-flighted there from his hometown—made global inequities even more apparent. Everyone should have access to high-quality care, in emergency situations and in daily life. The experience has made him even prouder to advocate for that care in places where it does not exist, or is not accessible.

Earlier in his career, Lawrence spent more than 12 years as a newspaper reporter and editor in Colorado; Shenzhen, China; and his native New England. He has a bachelor’s in philosophy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a master’s in journalism from the University of Colorado.