Amy Acton, MD, MPH, is a physician and community leader who has spent over 35 years pursuing her passion for public health and wellness. She is in private practice in Preventive Medicine and Public Health. 

Whether as Director of the Ohio Department of Health during early days of the COVID pandemic or as Vice President of Human:Kind at the Columbus Foundation, Dr. Acton has worked to create the community conditions that empower all people to flourish and realize their full potential.  

Dr. Acton most recently used her unique ability to inspire people to live their best lives by creating a new nonprofit to champion RAPID 5, a movement dedicated to connecting central Ohioans to nature and one another through central Ohio’s five major waterways and the parks and trails along them.  

Her Health, Healing, and Hope Series: The Loneliness Epidemic, produced by WKYC in Cleveland in 2023, has been honored with a Gracie Award and is under  consideration for an Emmy.   

She is currently featured in the 2024  PBS docuseries, The Invisible Shield, which explores the historical context underlying interventions for the COVID pandemic and other modern plagues, highlighting the essential role public health plays in our quality of life.   

Dr. Acton’s widely acclaimed leadership and inspiring guidance were experienced in daily news conferences as COVID exploded in the spring of 2020, earning her a Profile in COVID Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2021. In 2022 she was named Woman of the Year for Ohio by USA Today. Dr. Acton has also been featured in the 

New York Times, Glamour, The New Yorker, TIME, and most recently Smithsonian Magazine and Forbes. Locally, Dr. Acton received The Columbus Foundation’s 2020 Spirit of Columbus Award and is a recipient of Ohio State University’s highest alumni honor – The Ohio State Alumni Medalist Award.  

Dr. Acton lives in Bexley, Ohio with her husband, Eric, who has coached and taught in Bexley City Schools for over 40 years. Together they enjoy traveling, exploring nature, and spending time with their good friends and growing family (6 adult children, partners, grandkids, and Winnie).