Gary Rotto | SDSU School of Public Health

Division of Health Management and Policy

Adjunct Associate Professor

Education

MSW, University of Southern California 1985
Emphasis: Community Organization, Planning, and Administration
MA in Jewish Community Service, Hebrew Union College 1985
Emphasis: Non-Profit Management
BSW, the University of Texas at Austin 1982

Biography

Gary Rotto has a multifaceted role with the University. He serves as the Director of
Federal Government Relations for San Diego State, a position in which he is the point
person for relations with members of Congress as well as all Executive Branch agencies
and departments. Mr. Rotto engages in policy development, legislative affairs, and
identifying opportunities to expand the University’s research and grant opportunities
through federal grants and contracts. His work spans all the colleges which comprise
SDSU working with the deans and associate deans as well as directly with the Universities
scholars.
Professor Rotto continues to serve on the faculty of the School of Public Health. This role
allows for Mr. Rotto to integrate practical healthcare policy experience with academic
scholarship. Mr. Rotto has over 20 years of experience in public health policy first serving
as a policy director for several elected officials and as well as working in the private, non-
profit sector.
For the over 12 years, his work focused on policy development and advocacy on behalf of
Federally Qualified Health Centers. He served on numerous committees and working
groups with the state and national association of community health centers and received
the Elizabeth E. (Betsey) Cooke Grassroots Advocacy Award from the National
Association of Community Health Centers. For over 10 years, we served on the Board of
Trustees of the Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) based in Sacramento.
Professor Rotto serves on the faculty of the School of Public Health and the Weber
Honors College. He received the Darlene Shiley Honors Faculty Fellowship Award for
2022. As part of the fellowship, Professor Rotto traveled to Vietnam to study how policy
implementation in that to stem the COVID-19 pandemic in the Southeast Asian country
compared to implementation in the US. He also served on the Science Committee of the
Open Ancient Capital Conference on Science & Technology 2022 in Hue, Vietnam
Professor Rotto was the founder “If I Could Change One Thing” the health policy podcast
of the School of Public Health. The podcast and Professor Rotto recently received a Gold
Finest Award from the Health Care Communicators of Southern California for excellence
in the interactive media category. He continues to support the podcast as a guest host.