Stephen Pont

Dr. Pont has worked to improve health, with a focus on underserved and Spanish-speaking populations, across Federally Qualified Health Centers, schools, children’s hospitals, and a childhood obesity center. Since 2017, he has served at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), where he is a member of the executive team, leading the Center for Public Health Policy and Practice.

Nationally, Dr. Pont has served on the volunteer board of the Children & Nature Network and helped create the Nature and Child Health Special Interest Group and the Section on Obesity within the American Academy of Pediatrics. He believes that getting most everyone outdoors and in nature plays a significant role in maintaining and improving health.

Texas DSHS recently completed a novel collaboration with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Trust for Public Land, and the Texas Children in Nature Network to create a GIS greenspace access mapping tool. The project also funded three health and nature liaisons who worked to increase the time children and families spend in nature.

In his free time, he enjoys Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and an annual mission trip to Guatemala with his family.