Meena Wheeler-Rivera is an Assistant Director at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Health Academy, where she leads public health training initiatives, including food safety education for the restaurant industry. She has completed graduate coursework in Biology and taught undergraduate courses in microbiology and ecology at St. John’s University. After attending Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she transitioned to public health. 

Since joining the Health Academy in 2010, Meena has provided instruction for all courses and has trained new health inspectors. She recently codeveloped the Active Managerial Control workshop to provide restaurant supervisors and managers with tools to enhance food safety practices. In addition to her work at the Health Academy, Meena serves as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work, where she teaches Human Biology for Social Work. 

Her work is driven by a commitment to strengthening health literacy, empowering communities, and advancing equitable health for all.