Heather McCann, MPH, CPH, MCHES, grew up in Sumter County, Florida. She now lives in the Atlanta area with her husband, Patrick, an alumnus of the UF Levin College of Law, along with their son, Patrick, and daughter, Amelia.

Earning her Bachelor of Science in Health Science from the University of Florida; Go Gators! She received her Master of Public Health with a concentration in health promotion/health education from the University of North Florida.

At UF, she was highly involved on campus as an MFOS peer mentor, a member of the Florida Opportunity Scholar Academy of Leadership (FOSAL), and vice president of Gator EMS, Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre Health Honor Society, among others. She also served as the service and event chair of UF's Pre-Physician Assistant Association.

In 2012, while working as UF's Department of Recreational Sports program assistant for safety and risk management, she received Employee of the Year for her department and the Director's Award at Rec Sports. Heather also enjoyed working as a patient care assistant at Shands Hospital in the 5 East Unit where she was a three-time Customer Service Award recipient.

Honored to be a University of Florida Hall of Fame Candidate, Heather also received an honorable mention from the University of Florida Alumni Association for the Outstanding Leadership Award and the Leadership and Service Award from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Heather's professional career reflects her passion for public health advocacy. She has served as a health educator at the David J. Sencer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Museum. She was a health scientist fellow for three years on the Prenatal Alcohol, Opioid, and Substance Exposure Team (PAOSET) at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at CDC. During her time with PAOSET, she was the co-lead on the Prenatal Alcohol and Other Drug Exposures in the Child Welfare Project.

Before working at the CDC, Heather was a data research analyst at the Florida Department of Health in Duval County and clinic manager for five school-based health centers in Duval County Public Schools.

Heather and her family created an endowment fund in 2023, the McCann Family Machen Opportunity Scholars Fund, to give back to the program that has given so much to Heather and helped make her the woman she is today.