Christine West serves as Director of Health Equity for UnitedHealthcare Community & State Plan of Rhode Island, where she leads initiatives to advance population health, health equity, inclusion and belonging, and organizational growth. She also oversees the plan’s community outreach and investment efforts, fostering cross-sector partnerships to strengthen capacity, expand access, and improve health outcomes statewide.

 

Passionate about program design, systems-level innovation, and collaborative problem-solving, Christine is a connector and convener who brings diverse stakeholders together to co-create solutions. She centers lived experience and community voice in her work, leading by listening and partnering with others to ensure initiatives truly serve the people they are designed to support.

 

Previously, Christine led statewide health system transformation efforts in Rhode Island aimed at increasing healthcare access for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind individuals. She has designed workforce development programs, including training initiatives for ASL interpreters, and has consulted on accessibility, inclusive organizational practices, and curriculum design. A nationally certified sign language interpreter for over 25 years, she continues to draw on this experience and her decades of work with Deaf and disability communities to guide her equity-centered leadership.

 

Christine currently serves as Board Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the Rhode Island Public Health Association, a Governor appointee to the RI Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders State Advisory Council, an Olmstead Advisory Group Member for the State of Rhode Island, and a Board Member of The Village Common of Rhode Island. She holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University, master’s degrees from San Diego State University and St. Catherine University, and is a doctoral candidate in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California.