Leilah Siegel, M.S., Ph.D., serves as Educator, Community Health, for Cook County for the University of Illinois Extension.  In this role, she develops, delivers, and evaluates health and wellness programming and provides training and leadership in these areas.  She is a passionate believer in the power of health information and access to empower individuals and communities.

Leilah offers programs that prevent and decrease chronic disease and foster an increased sense of well-being.  She believes in the importance of mental health and wellness as well as physical health.  Her programs focus on heart health, stress reduction, and reducing health disparities.  These programs feature an emphasis on health literacy, creative expression, nutrition, and nature. 

Before joining Illinois Extension in her current role, Leilah worked in higher education and community settings, including CEDA WIC, DePaul University, University of Illinois Chicago, and Harvard Medical School.  She also previously served University of Illinois Extension as a 4-H Youth Development Educator in DuPage, Kane, and Kendall counties, and as a STEM Educator in Cook County. 

Leilah holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacological Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois Chicago, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Tulane University.  She is an author of several peer-reviewed publications and has presented her research at the Society for Neuroscience and World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics.  Leilah is a member of the National Urban Extension Leaders and Cooperative Extension’s Collective for Health Equity and Well-being.  She has received training in Bioregional Herbalism from The Resiliency Institute and holds a certificate in Values-Centered Leadership from DePaul University.