Cristina Leos Email & Phone Number

Raleigh, Nc, Us

I lead the City’s organization-wide strategic planning and performance management efforts by leveraging human-centered design, systems thinking, and other innovation practices to drive impact. I apply deep expertise in innovation and change management to advise City Leadership and the City Manager’s Office on strategic priorities and guide the 300 City staff working to advance the Strategic Plan.

Raleigh, Nc, Us

Raleigh, Nc, Us

I oversaw the City of Raleigh's innovation portfolio, including projects to build internal capacity, strengthen partnerships, and launch pilot initiatives. Key projects included:Design and launch of the Raleigh Impact Lab, a one-of-a-kind municipal government consulting lab that applies human centered design to understand shared needs, barriers to service delivery, and opportunities for improvement, with the goal to design policies and services that work for people. Impact Partner Grant program, a funding opportunity investing in organizations that help underrepresented innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses start, stay, and grow in Raleigh.Raleigh ADU Pitchfest, which brought together innovative startups from across the country to pitch solutions aimed at reducing barriers to ADU adoption and increasing housing supply.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Us

Co-instructor for the course Design Thinking for the Public Good, which equips undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across all disciplines with the skills and mindsets to apply design thinking to complex social issues. This course is required to receive the Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good.

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

Real Talk is a mobile app that connects youth with authentic stories and trusted resources to help them know they are not alone in their experiences growing up. To date, Real Talk has reached 30,000+ teens in all 50 U.S. states and around the world.

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

I led product development throughout the entire lifecycle, which included translating insights gained from our human-centered design research into product design, owning the product roadmap from end to end, managing a cross-functional team across design, engineering, content, and marketing, and integrating behavioral science with innovation to inform product strategy.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Us

My team iteratively developed a first of its kind, sex education program for high school students grounded in behavioral theory and designed to be administered entirely online. We developed a mixed methods evaluation plan and pilot tested the intervention in North Carolina. I led the process evaluation examining the acceptability, usability, and feasibility of the intervention and presented preliminary findings at the American Public Health Association annual meeting, the largest public health conference in the country.

Washington, Dc, Us

One of 10 teams nationwide selected to participate in the Innovation Next Accelerator to develop a technological innovation to prevent teen pregnancy. I received training in human-centered design by the world renowned design firm, IDEO.As a design researcher, I used interviews, observations, and other qualitative data collection techniques to understand, empathize with, and be inspired by our users. The insights gained through this process informed the development of a mobile app to deliver sexual health information to middle school students. We rapidly prototyped this innovative mobile app concept with 150+ teens across North Carolina and Texas, and our final concept resulted in a start-up venture and additional funding to support implementation.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Us

I investigated behavioral responses to the use of innovative genomic sequencing technologies in clinical care with an interdisciplinary team of geneticists, genetic counselors, anthropologists, psychologists, and research scientists. In this role, I conducted 500+ patient interviews as part of a $1.6M NIH-funded randomized controlled trial and trained student research teams in study protocols. I also applied rigorous statistical analyses to complex data, which resulted in multiple research articles published in high quality scientific journals.

I was part of the 6-member founding team that developed a natural women's hygiene product, which went on to win a Startup Weekend Health competition and secure a spot at the Groundwork Labs Accelerator in Durham, NC. I conducted product development research to understand our users' needs, preferences, painpoints, and desires.

Stanford, Ca, Us

I helped design a pilot study embedded within a $3.7M NIH-funded randomized controlled trial aimed at improving cardiovascular health outcomes in Spanish speaking primary care patients. We used a qualitative data collection technique that uses participant photographs and narratives to better understand health concerns. I developed the study protocols and conducted all data collection sessions, including individual interviews and small focus groups conducted in Spanish. I also transcribed, translated (Spanish to English), and coded all visual and text data for analysis.

Bethesda, Md, Us

I worked on a randomized controlled trial using innovative virtual reality technology to examine the impact of stigma related to weight and genetics on patient-provider communication about weight management. I analyzed qualitative data from these patient-provider interactions to understand patient behavior and perceptions of stigma, and presented findings at an NIH-wide research symposium.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Health Behavior

Master'S Degree, Health Behavior

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Human Biology