Gabriela Gallegos, JD, MPP, associate professor of management, policy, and community health at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, serves on the executive board of World Triathlon. This international governing body oversees the sport of triathlon and related multisports. In her role, Gallegos is responsible for developing and implementing policies to ensure the health and safety of participating triathletes.
Gallegos also holds a position on the board of directors for USA Triathlon. This national governing body sanctions 3,500 annual events and supports over 300,000 athletes in the U.S. Her expertise in public health and law allows her to address both recreational and elite athletes' health and safety concerns while overseeing sport policies.
In her international role with World Triathlon, which serves as a primary pathway for athletes qualifying for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris, Gallegos focuses on critical health concerns such as mental health, injury prevention, and environmental safety measures. "We confront public health concerns at every turn," she said.
The opening ceremony for this year’s Olympic Games will take place on July 26 in Paris. Competing in these games is considered a pinnacle achievement for elite athletes but comes with serious public health challenges such as water quality and air pollution in a densely populated city.
"I currently chair a working group on safeguarding for World Triathlon," Gallegos stated. "Leading the development of a safeguarding process that is comprehensive draws on my public health and legal backgrounds."
A total of 110 triathletes will compete in individual men's triathlon, individual women's triathlon, and mixed relay competitions during this year's games from July 30 to August 5.
Gallegos is an attorney and public health researcher who works internationally through her elected position on the World Triathlon Executive Board and domestically via USA Triathlon's Board of Directors. She founded Race El Paso in 2010 to promote physical activity through community-engaged triathlon events. In 2023, she received USA Triathlon's Heart of a Race Director Innovation Award.
© The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston)
