Laurel Sprague

Laurel Sprague is the Blachford/Cooper Distinguished Scholar and Research Director at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Prior to joining UCLA in 2024, Dr. Sprague served as Director of the Global Division of Community and Youth Engagement for the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva. In this role, she coordinated efforts with UN Member States, community and civil society networks, and researchers to strengthen community and grassroots leadership, engagement in decision-making spaces, and health services. She has expertise in community-led participatory research, multi-country academic and community research partnerships, translation of research data into policy relevant information, survey methods, measurement of stigma and discrimination, and community leadership in health responses. She received her B.A. in English, with high distinction, from the University of Michigan, and her M.S. degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University, with a focus on resolving public conflicts and conflict transformation. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Wayne State University, with a dissertation focused on the political representation of marginalized groups in global institutions.