Semra Aytur, PhD, MPH is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of New Hampshire. Dr Aytur is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on community resilience and the relationships between the natural, built, and social environment in keeping people well. She is deeply committed to collaborative learning and research that supports innovative ways to improve health behaviour and planetary health.

She has published over 70 scientific journal articles and three books related to social determinants of health, environmental health, and policy.
Dr Aytur earned a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology. She also has a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Boston University and an undergraduate degree in biology from Brown University.

Dr Aytur has received the Climate and Health Leadership Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) Center for Climate, Health, and Equity. She has also been recognized by APHA as a Betty J. Cleckley Minority Issues Research awardee. She is deeply committed to collaborative learning and research that supports innovative ways to improve health.

In 2025, she will be the guest editor for a special issue in Sustainability on Health, Nature-Based Strategies, and Resilience.