Ana Scuteri felt compelled to make a difference in the health of the public after she watched two of her sisters die of a heart condition.

“I knew working in this field would provide an opportunity to help improve people’s quality of life,” said Scuteri, a native of Peru who is fluent in Spanish. “My professional goals were driven by the desire to serve, teach, inform and work in a team, and public health was the perfect fit. Public health has given me everything I have hoped for. I enjoy being a public health professional, doing community service and sharing the knowledge and experience I have gained throughout the years.”

Scuteri is the assistant county health department director at the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Seminole County. She is a trained epidemiologist who has worked in the field of public health for over 20 years and held leadership positions with the FDOH for more than 15 years. Scuteri, who earned both her bachelor’s and MPH from Florida International University, is responsible for managing the community health operations, services and programs of Seminole County.

In her current role at the FDOH-Seminole, Scuteri oversees the Community and Population Health Division, making sure the department’s mission is achieved and that it promotes wellness, disease prevention, access to care and emergency response related to health and medical services. Under her leadership, Seminole County ranked as the third healthiest county in health outcomes in Florida in 2022.

“I love that I get to do something different every day,” she said. “And it’s exciting to see that our work has such a positive effect.”

Scuteri was nominated for the award by her coworkers and community leaders, who called her “passionate,” “inspirational” and “determined.”

“The characteristic of Ms. Scuteri’s that amazes me is her determination to make ideas come to life through her energetic optimism, consensus-building skills and keen understanding of what makes sense, yet always within the bounds of regulations and guidelines,” said Monica Araujo, program director of Catholic Charities of Central Florida. “I have personally seen the result of her work: Our community is a much better place to live because of her.”

Scuteri said it’s the community she serves that feeds her public health passion.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to make an impact on someone’s life,” she said. “Whether it’s helping a mom not to give up on breastfeeding, teaching a lesson to kindergarteners about nutrition, educating college students about STIs, promoting bicycle safety, assisting older adults with a fall-prevention program, helping a refugee learn about our health care system—the list goes on. Public health professionals touch people’s lives in so many ways.”

Scuteri said she’s “deeply honored and humbled” to receive the Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award, presented by the college each year to a woman whose career accomplishments and leadership contribute significantly to the field of public health in Florida.

“Public health professionals usually work behind the scenes, and sometimes people don’t really know the extent of the work we do. I am very grateful the University of South Florida has such a great recognition for the work many of us do, especially for women working in this field. I believe those of us who have chosen public health as a career do it because we care, we want to make a difference.”

To view the awards ceremony, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health