Carla Decotelli Mendes is a physician, pediatrician, occupational health specialist and public health expert. Over the last 20 years she has applied her population health knowledge and passion in the private sector to strengthen employee health programs. She has led Occupational Health and Employee Wellbeing initiatives on a local, regional, and global scale for businesses in mining and pharmaceuticals.
Carla joined J&J in 2017 and has led the Global Health Services Operations team in the Americas. She has had oversight and responsibility for all Occupational Health, Wellness & Health Promotion, Mental Well-being, Employee Assistance Program and Energy for Performance programs and services in North America and LATAM. In response to COVID19 pandemic, she led the North America Crisis Management team and provided implementation guidance related to all COVID19 preventive actions. In 2021, she joined the J&J Global Public Health team and became the lead of new created organization, Global Strategic Partnership.
Currently as a Senior Director Medical Affairs Lead in Global Public Health (GPH), Carla is responsible for leading the strategy for the clinical optimization of product development and life cycle management strategies and plans for multiple products and/or compounds across the Global Public Health Portfolio. She also leads the Workplace Medical Affairs strategies and Pediatric Medical Affairs activities.
Carla has a wide range of experience in medicine, pediatrics, public health, occupational health and employee wellbeing and strategy. Having started her career in pediatrics in public and private hospitals in Brazil, she developed a strong clinical expertise and health systems leadership. Leading a family medicine team, she has gained vast population and public health experience which included South-to-South collaboration between Brazil and Ethiopia through PEPFAR/CDC under Tulane University.
Carla received her Doctorate in Medicine from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a master’s in science in Public Health from FIOCRUZ/Brazil and completed an Occupational Health Specialization at Universidade Federal Fluminense. She has completed her residency in Pediatrics at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and is licensed to practice medicine in Brazil. She also received the Minority Mentorship Award on Work, Health and Productivity at Harvard School of Public Health.