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Mary L. Herbert, MPH, MS ’91

• Practice Manager/Clinical Director 
• Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations/Birmingham Free Clinic 
• Bachelor of Science, Biology

Mary Herbert, MPH, MS ’91 is a dedicated public health professional and compassionate leader who has spent her career advancing healthcare access for underserved communities. After graduating from Gannon University, Herbert went on to receive her Master of Science degree in Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1995 and received her Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in 2005.  
Herbert is currently the practice manager and clinical director at The Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations (PHCUP)’s Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Birmingham Free Clinic offers no cost medical care to underserved patients.   
 
Of the 30 years that Birmingham has existed, Herbert has been there for 26 years. During her tenure, she has worn many hats—first as an AmeriCorps member and now as its clinical director. She oversees daily operations, mentors students and volunteers, secures vital funding and leads a multidisciplinary team in delivering comprehensive, patient-first care. Under her leadership, the clinic has navigated sweeping changes in healthcare, expanded its services and served as a training ground for hundreds of future medical and public health professionals from the University of Pittsburgh and many clinical specialty departments within UPMC.  
 
Herbert’s steady leadership, collaboration and creativity have steered the clinic through several location changes, the implementation of electronic medical records, the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in Pittsburgh’s population and demographics, and the extraordinary changes to the U.S. healthcare system which impact the patients’ needs and the clinic itself.  
 
Herbert’s impact extends well beyond the walls of the clinic. She serves on several nonprofit boards, including the Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania and Southwestern PA Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and volunteers with Jeremiah’s Place, a crisis nursery for children. Her commitment to service and health equity has earned her numerous accolades, including leadership and service awards from the University of Pittsburgh and the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.  
 
Herbert is Gannon University’s mission in action. She is dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. She is an Erie native, with some of her siblings attending Gannon University as well. Herbert fondly reminisces about her time at Gannon University with fellow alumni across all years, because Gannon graduates tend to find each other, even while working/volunteering at the Birmingham Free Clinic.