Margo Hilliard Alford, M.D., M.P.H. is Senior Vice President of Community Services for the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD) in Houston, Texas. Dr. Hilliard began her career with HCHD in 1988 as Administrator of Jefferson Davis Hospital. In June, 1989, Dr. Hilliard was named Administrator of Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital where she served for 17 years. Notable accomplishments during her tenure include opening one of the nation’s first ambulatory clinics for HIV/AIDs patients and securing designation by the State of Texas of LBJ General Hospital as the first Level III Trauma center in Texas. Most recently, Dr. Hilliard served as one of five founding members of a community-wide collaborative, Gateway to Care, with the shared goal of ensuring access to care for an estimated 1.5 million uninsured /underinsured residents of Harris County. With federal funds obtained through this collaborative, Dr. Hilliard and LBJ nurse administrator Moranda Dansby, opened the first telephone nurse advice service for uninsured residents of Harris County. Today Gateway to Care includes more than 170 public and private organizations and is the recipient of several federal and philanthropic grants designed to improve the region’s capacity for primary care, to enhance patient access to appropriate care, and to reduce the burden of uncompensated care on area hospitals and emergency centers. A native of Houston, Dr. Hilliard is a board certified pediatrician and holds an appointment as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School-Houston. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Southern University. Dr. Hilliard received her medical degree from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Berkley. Dr. Hilliard completed her residency in pediatrics at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine, and a fellowship in pediatric infectious disease at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hilliard is a member of the Harris County Medical Society, the National Medical Association, Houston Medical Forum, and the National Association of Public Hospitals (NAPH), where she served on the Executive Board of Directors. In addition, she is active on the boards of two local non-profit community organizations, Community Health Choice, and the Northwest Assistance Ministries. Dr. Hilliard has also served as Assistant Director of the Division of Personal Health Services for the City of Houston’s Department of Health & Human Services, and as the Physician-in-Chief for the Acres Home Community Health Center. She is a frequent speaker on public health care and health disparities affecting the uninsured, and has received numerous awards and recognitions for her leadership and service to vulnerable populations. Dr Hilliard, her husband, Marcus Alford, and their two sons, Raphael and Cory, are members of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Reverend Marcus D. Cosby, Pastor, and William A. Lawson, Pastor Emeritus.