University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions alumni Jacky Lagrace, bachelor’s in health science ’06, and Lara Poole, master’s in public health ’14, join 38 other outstanding young alumni recognized by the UF Alumni Association for achievements that positively impact their communities, professions and The Gator Nation. The 2023 40 Under 40 class was recognized at a celebration held April 13 and 14 in Gainesville.
Lagrace is Vice President of Population Health for Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast. In this role, he is responsible for $1 billion in accountable care for Ascension communities served in Florida and the Gulf Coast. His background is in clinically integrated networks, population health management, and value-based care partnerships. He is passionate about working with physicians, practice administrators, care teams and health system leaders to identify and advance priorities in population health, clinical practice efficiency, processes and outcomes.
Lagrace previously served as executive director for Baptist Physician Partners in Jacksonville, Florida, and executive director at Adventist Health in northern California. After graduating from UF, he obtained a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan. He is a national speaker on strategic interventions towards advancing value-based care and population health and is the author of “Patients Should Take Active Role in Health with PCPs.” Lagrace also served on the Board for WeCareJax, an organization in Duval County that coordinates compassionate health care services for people who are uninsured. Full bio.
Captain Lara Poole currently serves as the Air Force District of Washington’s Command Public Health Officer and as the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic’s Public Health Flight Commander. She leads preventative health operations to ensure Presidential and Congressional airlift and is the district’s senior advisor on public health policy affecting 594,000 beneficiaries around D.C.
Poole earned her B.S. in Microbiology in 2013 followed by her M.P.H. in 2014. She then served as a full-time food bank volunteer before joining the United States Air Force in 2016.
From 2016 to 2021, Poole directed preventative health operations for half of the United States Air Force’s B-52 bomber fleet and one third of its pilot training mission. She advised executive leaders on implementing public health policy for 63,000 beneficiaries. She played a critical role in battling the pandemic and was selected as her clinic’s Company Grade Officer of the Year. In 2020, she volunteered to deploy to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. While enduring mortar attacks, she collaborated with senior leaders from 30 partner nations and conducted a 2,900-participant COVID-19 study. Full bio