Sheryl Dacso, JD, DrPH

Kathleen Spangler holds a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and practiced commercial litigation with Vinson & Elkins for 27 years. In 2018, she obtained her Masters in Public Health from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center.

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She transitioned out of legal practice in 2021 and is currently working for a technology company that operates a referral platform connecting patients and clients to physical health, mental and behavioral health, and social services.

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During her public health studies, Kathleen interned at Harris County Public Health and worked on a project concerning medical-legal partnerships, serving as a key contributor to the revival of the TxMLP initiative. She is the author of “Medical-Legal Partnerships: A Scan of the Landscape and a Look Forward,” published by the Texas Medical-Legal Partnership Coalition in May 2020.

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Kathleen has been a member of the provisional board of TxMLP since its establishment. She is passionate about addressing non-medical determinants of health, particularly health-harming legal needs, and is a strong proponent of collaborative, interdisciplinary methods to improve whole-person health and community outcomes. Currently, she is a seminarian with the long-term goal of serving as a deacon in the United Methodist Church, focusing on health equity in an extension ministry.