Lacey Ahern currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Eck Institute for Global Health after previously serving as the Assistant/Associate Director of the Master of Science in Global Health program for 6 years. Lacey is Program Director for Global Partners in Care, a U.S. based organization that supports access to hospice and palliative in low-resources settings through developing collaborative partnerships and advancing research and education in palliative care. She earned her BS in Biology from Notre Dame and her MPH in Global Health/Community Health and Development from Emory University.  

Lacey has nearly 20 years of experience working in international health and development with a focus on program development and community engagement in both not-for-profit organizations and universities. She has more than 10 years of experience at the University of Notre Dame in various teaching, research and administration roles. Lacey served on a global health curriculum committee within the Consortium of Universities of Global Health and helped build the global health training programs at Notre Dame. She has worked with numerous students over the years on research projects related to public health surveillance and evaluation, palliative care, lead exposure and maternal and child health.

Her international work includes time living and working in East Africa with the United Nations Population Fund, the Congregation of Holy Cross, Uganda Martyrs University and other local organizations. She has engaged in collaborative projects across the globe and has also worked locally in South Bend, Indiana to combat the problem of lead poisoning in children. Her current areas of focus are palliative care and the role of partnerships in global health.