Vanessa Vales-Lewis, PhD, MAT

Dr. Vanessa Vales-Lewis is the Assistant Dean of the School of Health Professions at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, where she leads initiatives focused on student and alumni relations, and community partnerships. With more than 20 years of experience across New York City’s K–12 and higher education systems—including CUNY Brooklyn College and SUNY Downstate—she is a STEM educator, scholar, and academic leader committed to advancing student success, faculty development, and equity in health education.

Dr. Vales-Lewis has a longstanding connection to the Downstate community and has held multiple roles at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, including Assistant Director of Academic Advisement in the Office of Student Academic Services. In this capacity, she led the development and implementation of academic support initiatives across the College of Medicine, School of Health Professions, College of Nursing, School of Public Health, and School of Graduate Studies, with a focus on academic coaching, mentorship, and retention strategies that support holistic student development.

She is also an alumna and former staff member of the Health Science Academy at the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH), SUNY Downstate’s community partnership program. In this role, she contributed to the development of community-based health science education initiatives that promote access, wellness, and workforce development.

Dr. Vales-Lewis earned her PhD and MPhil in Urban Education (Learning Sciences) from the CUNY Graduate Center, a Master of Arts in Adolescent Science Education with a Biology (7–12) New York State Teaching Certification from CUNY Brooklyn College, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Northeastern University.

Her research centers on maternal wellness, self, and self-care, with a particular focus on matrescence—the transition to motherhood.