Announcing the 2023 Bloomberg Fellows

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative is pleased to announce the 2023 MPH and DrPH Bloomberg Fellows.

Fellows receive a full scholarship to earn a Master of Public Health or Doctor of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Bloomberg Fellows program represents an innovative way to train the next generation of public health leaders, as it requires not only a commitment to public health practice from the students, but also a commitment of collaboration from the organizations for which they already work. Applicants must apply to the program with support from their organizations. Fellows can study full-time or part-time and, upon completion of the program, they agree to work for their organization for at least one additional year. Learn more about the Bloomberg Fellows program.

This year’s fellows come from a wide variety of organizations, including Honestly: Sexual Health Collective for Youth, an organization that collaborates with partners to improve sexual health education for adolescents in Oklahoma; Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, an organization serving the 43 federally recognized tribes of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to address health disparities and enhance the quality of life for American Indians and Alaska Natives; and Tumbling Shoals Farm, a certified-organic vegetable farm in Wilkes County, NC, whose commitment to organic practices and dedication to providing nourishment to their community have made them a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture in the region.

MPH Fellows

Addiction and Overdose

Bridget Duffy - Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital - Columbus, OH

Bridget is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) at Nationwide Children's Hospital. She works in the lab of Dr. Nichole Michaels, focusing on various overlapping research areas related to harm reduction, substance use disorder, drug overdose death, child maltreatment, and other causes of violent injuries and death. Bridget's personal experience of losing her brother to opioid overdose has deeply influenced her passion for this field. Bridget has become a sought-after speaker and has delivered over a dozen invited lectures at hospitals, medical schools, and universities on the topic of stigma surrounding drug addiction. 

The Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) at Nationwide Children's Hospital is designated by the Centers for Disease Control as an Injury Control Research Center. CIRP is dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge in the fields of epidemiology, biomechanics, prevention, acute treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries. Dr. Gary Smith serves as the founder and director of CIRP, while Dr. Nichole Michaels, a Principal Investigator in CIRP and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, leads research initiatives related to substance use disorders, child maltreatment, and other causes of violent injuries and death.

Lauren Kemmeter - Mono County Public Health - Mono County, CA

Lauren serves as a Community Health Program Coordinator at Mono County Public Health, located in Mono County, California. In her role, Lauren leads the county's comprehensive tobacco control efforts, aiming to change social norms around commercial tobacco use, protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke, support individuals in their recovery from nicotine addiction, and prevent the initiation of new tobacco users, particularly among youth. As part of her responsibilities, Lauren facilitates both youth and adult coalitions, manages media campaigns, conducts community outreach, and provides technical assistance and capacity building to clinicians and community service providers to implement tobacco screening and treatment programs. 

Mono County is a geographically isolated and sparsely populated jurisdiction situated on the eastern slope of California's Sierra Nevada range. With a population of approximately 13,195 according to the 2020 Census, the county covers 3,103 square miles, the majority of which is publicly owned. The only incorporated jurisdiction in Mono County is the Town of Mammoth Lakes, spanning 3 square miles. Mono County Public Health is dedicated to providing environmental and public health services that promote the health and safety of residents and visitors in Mono County. The organization comprises a diverse team of community messengers, healers, and advocates who possess intergenerational and multicultural expertise. The mission and vision of Mono County Department of Public Health revolve around promoting and protecting a culture of health and safety in the community and environment. 

Monica Desjardins - Research Triangle Institute International - Triangle Park, NC

Monica is a public health analyst at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International. As a public health analyst, she coordinates and provides support in roles across various projects in the areas of violence, addiction and harm reduction, adolescent health, and infectious disease. Beyond her established roles at RTI, Monica actively advocates for and pursues collaborations in suicide and substance use prevention with Tribal organizations. She aims to improve the mental health disparities that exist in American Indian communities by reducing rates of suicide and substance use

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International is a non-profit independent research institute with the mission of improving the human condition through science-based solutions. RTI has dedicated expertise and project work in the areas of addiction, overdose and substance use prevention. As an organization, RTI provides a range of services and capabilities including but not limited to evidence-based research, program design, implementation, evaluation, and analysis. Clients across the organization comprise government agencies, academia, foundations, global NGOs, and commercial companies.

Clement Chen - Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School, Department of Psychiatry; Northern NJ Medication-Assisted Treatment Center of Excellence - Newark, NJ

Clement is the Academic Detailer and Clinical Pharmacist Specialist at the Northern NJ Medication-Assisted Treatment Center of Excellence, which is based at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. In his role, Clement provides consultative support to healthcare professionals by offering mentoring and education. He conducts needs assessments and develops solutions to enhance providers' knowledge and application of evidence-based care. Clement plays a significant role in sharing evidence-based knowledge on substance use disorders through live webinars, conferences, and institutional presentations. He is actively involved in research and quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving the quality of care in various healthcare settings across the state.

The Northern NJ Medication-Assisted Treatment Centers of Excellence (NNJ-MATrx-COE) was implemented by the New Jersey Department of Human Services in 2019 as part of a statewide initiative to address the substance use crisis. The NNJ-MATrx-COE consists of two centers, located in Northern and Southern NJ, which work to integrate addiction medicine into the care provided by designated Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) Medicaid providers. The NNJ-MATrx-COE, hosted by Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, focuses on increasing access to medication treatment and recovery support services for individuals with substance use disorders. 

Isabella Izquierdo - Lewis-Burke Associates - Washington, D.C.

Isabella is an Associate at Lewis-Burke Associates, a government relations firm based in Washington D.C. In her role, Isabella collaborates with universities and scientific societies to advocate for their priorities in biomedical and public health research. She provides consulting services to clients, helping them strengthen federal support for public health research that ultimately leads to the development of prevention, diagnostic, intervention, and treatment strategies for communities nationwide. Isabella's background includes an internship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where she worked on a research study focusing on maternal health and drug abuse. 

Lewis-Burke Associates is a comprehensive government relations firm that specializes in advocacy across various areas of public policy. The firm works closely with higher education institutions and scientific organizations to advance their policy interests and research priorities at the federal level. They collaborate with federal agencies in the U.S. Executive Branch, Congress, global organizations, and other influential entities to support groundbreaking research. The experts at Lewis-Burke Associates engage with leaders in the research community, monitor relevant legislative actions, and identify threats to the broader research ecosystem that directly affect science, technology, education, and health. Their goal is to ensure that the needs of the scientific community are well-represented in various policy and research initiatives.

Ashley Wurth - Injury and Violence Prevention, North Carolina Division of Public Health - Boone, NC

Ashley serves as the Western North Carolina Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Coordinator for the Injury and Violence Prevention Branch of the North Carolina Division of Public Health. In this position, Ashley's primary responsibility is to provide technical assistance and support to various partners, including syringe services programs, local health departments, and community-based organizations. Working as part of the Overdose Prevention Team, Ashley aims to foster collaboration and education across different sectors to combat drug-related stigma. 

The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) is an integral part of the North Carolina Division of Public Health. Its primary focus is to prevent injuries and violence within the state. To achieve this goal, the IVPB collects and analyzes data to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue, implements programs and strategies to prevent injuries and violence, and facilitates coordination among various stakeholders throughout the state. The Overdose Prevention Team, which Ashley is a part of, is responsible for overseeing the North Carolina Safer Syringe Initiative, providing funding to local health departments and partners for the implementation of overdose prevention strategies, and offering technical assistance to community-based organizations. 

Michelle “Misch” Whitaker - Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program - Boston, MA

Misch is the Harm Reduction Nurse Educator at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). In her role, Misch oversees two drop-in clinical sites, namely SPOT and the RIZE Room, while also providing direct patient care. With a focus on harm reduction, Misch believes that all therapeutic relationships can be viewed through this lens. She is dedicated to advocating for improved access to services for individuals who use drugs. 

The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) is a federally qualified health center that is committed to providing equitable and dignified access to high-quality healthcare for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the greater Boston area. BHCHP offers a range of services, including medical care, behavioral health care, youth and family services, and case management. With over half of their patients having a diagnosed substance use disorder, BHCHP serves as a thought leader at the intersection of healthcare and homelessness. 

Marisa Shields - Frederick County Health Department - Frederick, MD

Marisa is the Harm Reduction Program Coordinator at the Frederick County Health Department in Frederick, Maryland. In this role, Marisa is responsible for coordinating various programs and services, including the Syringe Services Program, Overdose Response Training Program, and HCV (Hepatitis C virus) Case Management. Under Marisa's leadership, the Syringe Services Program has expanded its operating hours to 35 hours per week, and a fixed site Harm Reduction Center has been established within the community. Marisa has also implemented the Rapid Analysis of Drugs (RAD) drug checking program and initiated the county's participation in the Access Telemedicine for HCV and MOUD (Medication for Opioid Use Disorder) program in partnership with Johns Hopkins.

The Frederick County Health Department's mission is to improve the health and well-being of the residents of Frederick County through various programs aimed at preventing disease and illness, promoting wellness and safety, and protecting public health. The Harm Reduction Services provided by the department focus on strategies that reduce the negative consequences associated with drug use and unprotected sex. The goal is to meet individuals where they are without judgment and offer tools to inform, educate, and empower both people who use drugs and the community. The department aims to reduce the stigma associated with substance-related disorders and connect individuals to important health services when they are ready to access them.

Adrienne Sanders - Carroll County Health Department - Carroll County, MD

Adrienne Sanders is the Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Coordinator and the Overdose Response Program (ORP) Coordinator for the Carroll County Health Department. In this role, Adrienne chairs the Local OFR Team, a multidisciplinary team who reviews cases of substance involved death in the county. As the ORP coordinator, she oversees Naloxone (Narcan®) training and distribution. She co-chairs the Suicide Prevention Coalition and is a member of the Opioid Prevention Coalition. Previously, Adrienne coordinated a pilot program serving people who use drugs and/or struggle with mental health who are experiencing homelessness and has worked with survivors of sexual assault. 

The Carroll County Health Department (CCHD) serves as a local agent under the Maryland Department of Health. CCHD is responsible for providing a variety of services to the local community under the Bureaus of Prevention, Wellness and Recovery, Environmental, Nursing and Administration. As a local Health Department, CCHD’s mission is to protect and improve the health of all county residents by monitoring trends, collaborating with local partners, and offering services. CCHD implements a “no wrong door” approach to ensure connections to services are made no matter where they are sought. CCHD enjoys many partnerships across the county, in public safety, community mental health, local schools and the hospital. 

Jeanette Trella - Center for Public Health Readiness and Response at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA

Jeanette is the founder of the Center for Public Health Readiness and Response (CPRR) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). As the Senior Director of CPRR and a pediatric clinical pharmacist, Dr. Trella has developed scalable public health response programs to address emerging public health threats and meet the unique needs of hundreds of thousands of patients. One area of public health concern that Dr. Trella focuses on is the scarcity of substance use disorder treatment resources for adolescents. She is particularly interested in developing prevention and treatment programs for opioid and substance use disorders in adolescents, as well as programs that promote resiliency among youth. 

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a prominent pediatric healthcare network comprising two free-standing children's hospitals and an extensive ambulatory network serving southeast Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. The CPRR is housed at CHOP and is built upon the framework of the region's HRSA-designated Poison Control Center, which serves a population of nearly 9 million. The CPRR also includes other programs such as the Product Recall and Response Program, the Employee Safety Line, and the Comprehensive Opioid Response and Education (CORE) Program.

Julio Contreras - National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors - Washington, D.C.

Julio is a manager on the NASTAD Policy & Legislative Affairs team. His primary focus is on leading the viral hepatitis and drug user health policy advocacy portfolios. Julio collaborates with coalitions to secure federal support and increased funding for viral hepatitis and harm reduction programs at state and territorial health departments, as well as their community partners. The aim is to establish strong networks for hepatitis elimination and prevention of overdose and infectious diseases. Julio engages with various stakeholders, including Congress, the White House, federal agencies, health department staff, industry representatives, nonprofits, and community-based organizations, to advance policies and programs that promote the wellbeing and health of people who use drugs.

NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) is a non-partisan non-profit association that represents public health officials responsible for administering HIV and hepatitis programs in the United States. NASTAD's mission is to advance the health and dignity of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and related epidemics. Through advocacy, capacity building, and social justice initiatives, NASTAD strengthens governmental public health efforts. The organization comprises seven programmatic teams, including Health Care Access, Health Systems Integration, Policy & Legislative Affairs, Hepatitis, Prevention, Health Equity, and Drug User Health. 

Zimani Betts - Hamilton County Public Health - Cincinnati, OH

Zimani works as a Health Coordinator in the Harm Reduction Division at Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH) in Cincinnati, Ohio. HCPH's Harm Reduction division is committed to supporting the community during the addiction crisis by providing compassionate care, education, and accessible resources. Zimani's role is guided by the Drug Overdose Survivor Support (DOSS) Model, which enables her to offer immediate postvention response to overdose losses. Through her involvement with the Overdose Fatality Review (OFR), Zimani contributes evidence-based data to inform prevention and intervention strategies implemented in the community. She works closely with community partners to provide referrals, grief support, and wrap-around services to individuals who have experienced such losses.

Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH) is a local health department located in Southwest Ohio. The agency's mission is to educate, serve, and protect the community for a healthier future for all residents. With over 140 employees, HCPH serves more than 480,000 county residents across 45 political jurisdictions. The agency maintains close partnerships with the cities of Cincinnati, Norwood, and Springdale to ensure accessible public health services for all citizens. HCPH provides a wide range of services, including food safety education, inspection services, vital statistics, harm reduction programs and resources, epidemiology, immunizations, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infection control, food service inspection and licensing, plumbing inspection and permitting, waste management, water quality, emergency preparedness and response, and health promotion and education.

Fatumata Kaba - Boston Public Health Commission - Boston, MA

Fatumata is a counselor who previously worked for the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), where she provided support to vulnerable individuals seeking early treatment for substance addiction. In her role, Fatumata served as one of the initial contacts for clients entering treatment, creating a professional and client-centered environment. She helped clients identify immediate needs, provided resources for local recovery services, and connected them with appropriate social services. Fatumata has now transitioned to a new role as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Programs and Planning. In this position, she works with the treatment programs at the Mattapan Campus to ensure proper implementation and maintenance of operational procedures. 

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is the oldest health department in the United States. The BPHC's mission is centered around public service and providing access to quality healthcare. Their goal is to protect, preserve, and promote the health and well-being of all residents of Boston, with a particular focus on individuals who are most vulnerable.

Samantha Santamaria - University of California, Los Angeles Integrated Substance Abuse Programs - Los Angeles, CA

Samantha is a Clinical Specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP). Her work at UCLA ISAP, in collaboration with California's Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), focuses on implementing a program to expand access to evidence-based interventions for individuals living with stimulant use disorder, specifically Contingency Management (CM). The goal is to provide CM as a benefit to California residents enrolled in Medicaid, with the potential for the program to serve as a model for implementing Medicaid-covered CM benefits nationwide.

The UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP) is located within the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. ISAP is dedicated to conducting research aimed at developing and evaluating innovative approaches for the treatment of substance use disorders. They integrate empirically supported treatments into mainstream implementation through research dissemination and clinical training programs. 

Shamia Roberts - Tennessee Department of Health - Nashville, TN

Shamia is the Director of Viral Hepatitis Prevention and Clinical Services at the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH). In her role, she focuses on building hepatitis C treatment capacity within health departments and provides oversight to three navigation programs that aim to connect individuals to hepatitis C treatment and/or harm reduction services. Previously, Shamia worked as a Viral Hepatitis Case Navigator and Harm Reduction Resource Team Nurse, where she helped clients access viral hepatitis resources and supportive services. 

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is committed to collaboration, equity, excellence, compassion, integrity, and respect. Their mission is to protect, promote, and improve the health of people in Tennessee. TDH focuses on strategic initiatives that prioritize preventative care and aim to increase healthcare access for residents across the state's 95 counties, including those in rural areas.

Ciara Gregovich - U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Rocky Mountain Division - Denver, CO

Ciara is currently serving as the Community Outreach Specialist for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the Rocky Mountain Division. In this role, she works to bridge the gap between public safety, health, and grassroots advocacy for individuals impacted by substance use disorders. She is known for her compassion, action-oriented responses, and advocacy for community health. Prior to her position at the DEA, Ciara served as the Director of the Utah Opioid Task Force for the Office of the Attorney General. She has been a strong advocate for prevention, drug user health, stigma reduction, and the development of programs and policies that support individuals on a path to wellness. Ciara has also been involved in the Utah Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, ensuring that funds from opioid settlements are directed towards initiatives that effectively address the harms of the opioid crisis.

The DEA's Community Outreach and Prevention Support program was established in 1985 with the mission of reducing the demand for drugs by educating the public about the dangers of drug use. The recent budget passed by Congress allows each DEA Division to hire a Community Outreach Specialist. The DEA recognizes the importance of addressing substance use not only from a law enforcement perspective but also through prevention and education efforts. The role of the Community Outreach Specialist aims to educate the public on substance misuse, humanize the crisis, reduce drug demand, and foster collaboration between public health and public safety. 

Adolescent Health

Christa Seymour - Olmsted County Public Health - Rochester, MN

Christa is a Public Health Nurse at Olmsted County Public Health, located in Rochester, MN. She focuses on working with school-age youth, particularly those in grades 7-12. In her role, Christa is involved in various activities to promote the health and well-being of these students. One of Christa's responsibilities is providing classroom education on a range of health topics relevant to adolescents. She engages with students individually to address their specific health needs and facilitates small group work to foster discussion and learning. Additionally, she collaborates with local organizations to enhance the overall health outcomes of the youth she serves. 

Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS) is a nationally accredited health department that plays a vital role in providing essential health services to the community it serves. The department collaborates with a wide range of entities including government agencies, businesses, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and non-profit organizations to address community health issues and develop effective solutions. As a nationally accredited health department, OCPHS meets rigorous standards of quality and performance in delivering public health services. The department's primary objective is to promote and protect the health and well-being of all residents in Olmsted County.

Anna Duncan - CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy - Seattle, WA

Anna is a Program Operations Specialist at CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy, which balances community expertise with research evidence to spark meaningful change in adolescent and family-serving behavioral health systems in Washington State. In her role, Anna coordinates initiatives aimed at strengthening the quality of publicly funded child and adolescent behavioral healthcare. These initiatives include increasing culturally responsive care, improving the quality of clinical supervision, embedding clinical coaching to improve the quality and scale up of effective services, addressing the workforce crisis, and developing clinical interventions to better support high-acuity adolescent mental health needs

The CoLab for Community & Behavioral Health Policy, housed within the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, reimagines how evidence can be integrated with community expertise to advance behavioral health policy. It supports a long-term research practice partnership with the state of Washington to improve access and quality in child and youth behavioral health services, in addition to conducting research on strategies to improve policy and system improvement with diverse sectors. This includes studies on the development and implementation of system innovation, evidence translation and synthesis services, and evidence-based policy and programmatic decision support.

Tomas Rivera - University of Maryland School of Dentistry - Baltimore, MD

Tomas plays a crucial role as a Bilingual Grant Specialist/Coordinator at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. In this position, Tomas acts as the link between the referral community and the School of Dentistry, specifically overseeing the OH-LIUC and OH-LUCY programs. These programs aim to provide dental services to uninsured children and adolescents from families with limited income. As a Bilingual English/Spanish Patient Advocate, Tomas's responsibilities include coordinating and disseminating information related to service requests and managing the analysis process for each case according to program policies. Additionally, Tomas provides support for processing information from cases referred to the pediatric and orthodontic clinics. 

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry collaborates with Tomas and other organizations to ensure that children in Maryland have access to quality oral health care. The OH-LIUC and OH-LUCY programs are supported by the Maryland Department of Health and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. These programs provide essential dental services to children between the ages of 0 and 15, with dental students supervised by licensed dentists. Parents or guardians of enrolled children are required to pay a minimal fee during the initial appointment.

Sunia Young - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine - Washington, D.C.

Sunia is a Senior Program Assistant at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). In her role, she works with NASEM's Board on Children, Youth, and Families, focusing on various projects related to children and youth. Some of the projects she has been involved in include Supporting Children with Disabilities: Lessons from the Pandemic, Family-Focused Interventions to Prevent Substance Use Disorder in Adolescents, Addressing the Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families, and Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation.

The Board on Children, Youth, and Families (BCYF) operates within the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. As a non-governmental scientific body, BCYF brings together experts from various disciplines to examine and evaluate the best available evidence on critical issues concerning children, youth, and families. BCYF's interdisciplinary approach allows it to assess research findings from fields such as biology, behavior, health, and social sciences. By integrating knowledge from multiple perspectives, BCYF can provide valuable insights and propose innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by children, youth, and families.

Miranda Bond - Parkland Health - Dallas, TX

Miranda is currently the Administrative Director for Patient Relations at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas. She plays a crucial role in providing services and support to vulnerable and medically fragile individuals in one of the busiest public health systems in the United States. Her responsibilities encompass overseeing the daily operations of the department, including planning, budgeting, personnel management, quality improvement, and policy development. Miranda also facilitates collaboration among physicians, nurses, operational leadership, and administration to ensure patient-centered and high-quality responses to patient feedback. She provides consultation on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Conditions of Participation related to Patient's Rights. Additionally, Miranda leads patient advocacy education efforts within the health system.

Parkland Health, which was established in 1894, is a renowned health system in Dallas. It handles over 60,000 hospital discharges and 1 million outpatient visits on average each year. The system offers exceptional services, including the Level I Rees-Jones Trauma Center, the region's first burn center certified by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, as well as a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Robert “Bobby” Pourier Jr. -  Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; Young Medicine Movement - Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, MT

Bobby is an Oglala Lakota who was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He currently holds the position of Program Director for the Young Medicine Movement (YMM), a suicide prevention and community-based intervention program affiliated with the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Aaniiih Nakoda College in Fort Belknap, Montana. In his role as Director, Bobby is responsible for developing programming and curricula for the YMM program, delivering content, and supporting the personal, professional, academic, and cultural development of youth participants. 

The Young Medicine Movement is a collaborative effort involving several organizations, including the Fort Belknap Tribes, Aaniiih Nakoda College, and the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. They have come together to address the issue of youth suicide on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. The reservation, which is home to the Aaniiih and Nakoda Tribes, has faced alarmingly high rates of suicide. The partnership aims to improve mental and behavioral outcomes for Aaniiih and Nakoda youth between the ages of 10 and 24 through a comprehensive, culturally sensitive approach that incorporates Indigenous methods. 

Ana Belén Zelaya - Healthy Futures of Texas - San Antonio, TX

Ana is a Project Coordinator at Healthy Futures of Texas, an organization dedicated to improving the well-being of young Texans through equitable access to sexual health education, contraception, and resources. She specifically works on the Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative, collaborating with child welfare and adolescent health systems across the state of Texas. In her role, Ana engages with communities in Houston and San Antonio to identify stakeholders, build relationships, and support youth in care to make informed decisions about their sexual health and relationships. She is involved in developing and implementing comprehensive sex education programs for adolescent youth and young adults in foster care. 

Healthy Futures of Texas was founded in 2006 and merged with Ntarupt and the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2022. As a statewide 501(c)(3) organization, they take a non-partisan approach informed by evidence-based practices to promote positive health outcomes for young people, women, and families. They provide health education for youth and families, training and technical assistance for youth-serving systems, research and data analysis, advocacy for policies aligned with their mission, and public awareness campaigns. Their vision is to ensure that every young Texan has access to the information and resources needed to make their own sexual health decisions.

Lillian Bocquin - Honestly: Sexual Health Collective for Youth - Oklahoma City, OK

Lillian is an Adolescent Sexual Health Educator based in Oklahoma City. She works with Honestly, Sexual Health Collective for Youth, an organization dedicated to improving sexual health education for adolescents in Oklahoma. Lillian's passion for this work stems from her own experience of receiving high-quality sexual health education as a middle school student, something she believes is lacking for many young Oklahomans. As a youth health educator, Lillian has taught evidence-based and comprehensive sexual health programs to thousands of students. Her efforts, along with others, have contributed to a reduction in teen birth rates across the state. 

Honestly: Sexual Health for Youth serves as the backbone organization of the central Oklahoma Teen Pregnancy Prevention Collaboration. They operate within the Collective Impact framework, working in collaboration with various partners in the Oklahoma City Metro area. As the facilitator of the Collaboration, Honestly convenes, supports, and connects partner networks of change agents. They actively engage and mobilize the community, advocate for youth to have access to resources and services and ensure medically accurate information about sexual health is readily available. 

Ariel Yardeni - National Institutes of Health, All of Us Research Program - Washington, D.C.

Ariel serves as the Consortium Communications Manager for the All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In her role, she is responsible for ensuring that the program's 100+ partner organizations have the necessary tools and resources to effectively communicate the value of participating in biomedical research. Currently, the All of Us Research Program is open to eligible adults aged 18 and above. However, Ariel is part of a group that supports future enrollment and retention of pediatric and adolescent participants, with a focus on reflecting the diversity of the United States. 

The All of Us Research Program, led by the National Institutes of Health, aims to engage at least one million individuals from across the United States to contribute to one of the most diverse health databases ever created. Researchers use the data collected to investigate how factors such as biology, lifestyle, and environment impact health, with the ultimate goal of advancing disease prevention and treatment. As of May 2023, the program has achieved significant progress, with over 600,000 participants who have shared more than 450,000 bio samples and 370,000 electronic health records. 

Allanceson Smith - San Francisco Department of Public Health, Behavioral Health Services - San Francisco, CA

Allanceson is an adolescent and addiction psychiatrist working in the Behavioral Health Services Division of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). He holds board certification in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and addiction psychiatry. In his role, Allanceson provides psychiatric services to detained adolescents in San Francisco's juvenile hall and transitional-age youth in a community clinic. The clinic offers a range of care levels, from outpatient psychiatric services to comprehensive and intensive wrap services. 

The San Francisco Department of Public Health's mission is to safeguard and promote health and well-being for all residents of San Francisco. Within the Department, the Behavioral Health Services Division adopts equity-driven and evidence-based approaches to improve behavioral health outcomes and advance the well-being of the city's population. The Division fulfills its mission through three main functions: serving as a provider of mental health and substance use treatment, prevention, and recovery services; acting as the payor for specialty behavioral health care under its managed care plan; and implementing population-level interventions aimed at improving health outcomes.

Environmental Challenges

Katelyn Wolf - Baltimore County Department of Health - Baltimore, MD

Katelyn's professional journey started at the Baltimore County Department of Health (BCDH) as a Public Health Investigator amidst the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this critical period, she played a vital role as a liaison, coordinating outbreak investigations and tracking, reporting, and consolidating epidemiological data for public institutions including nursing homes, schools, and businesses. Presently, she serves as an Environmental Health Specialist, ensuring community adherence to federal, state, and local laws, as well as environmental regulations. As an Environmental Health Specialist, Katelyn conducts thorough inspections to ensure food safety and sanitary standards are met. She investigates potential violations and compiles detailed reports, while also engaging and educating community members on best practices. 

The Baltimore County Department of Health is driven by its mission to enhance health and prevent disease through education, advocacy, resource linkage, and treatment, thereby enhancing the quality of life for Baltimore County residents. As the third most populous jurisdiction in Maryland, Baltimore County serves over 850,000 residents. The department operates under three BCDH Bureaus, namely Behavioral and Community Health; Clinical and School-based Services; and Animal Services, Communicable Disease, and Environmental Health. These bureaus collaborate to fulfill the vision of a Baltimore County where individuals can live, work, and play in a healthy environment.

Melino Gianotti - Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB), Environmental Public Health Program (EPH) - Portland, OR

Melino holds the role of Emergency Coordinator at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) within the Environmental Public Health Program (EPH). Her responsibilities entail providing public health emergency support to the forty-three tribes of the Northwest in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Melino actively engages in extensive interviews and conducts After-Action Reviews to aid in response and recovery efforts. She also collaborates with local, state, and federal partners to secure preparedness resources and facilitate trainings. Prior to her tenure at NPAIHB, Melino served as a Community Health Educator in the Gola Tribe of Liberia and a rural village in Cambodia as a dedicated Peace Corps Volunteer.

The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board is a nonprofit tribal advisory organization dedicated to serving the forty-three federally recognized tribes of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Their primary mission is to address health disparities and enhance the quality of life for American Indians and Alaska Natives. They achieve this by providing support to Northwest Tribes in the delivery of culturally appropriate and high-quality healthcare services. The Environmental Health Program, housed within NPAIHB, plays a crucial role in offering comprehensive environmental public health services that are informed by cultural perspectives.

Miguel Angel Vazquez - Riverside University Health System-Public Health - Riverside, CA

Miguel currently holds the position of Health Equity Urban and Regional Planner at the Riverside University Health System-Public Health (RUHS-PH). His primary objective is to enhance the health outcomes of approximately 2.5 million individuals residing in Riverside County, California. Miguel operates at the intersection of urban planning and public health, striving to bring about policy, systems, and environmental changes. His equitable approach involves engaging a wide range of stakeholders, spanning from elementary school-aged children to top-tier professionals. Miguel's interdisciplinary portfolio encompasses addressing planning concerns related to environmental justice, community engagement, and capacity building. Prior to joining RUHS-PH, he held various leadership roles as a project manager, land use planner, and environmental review expert for both public agencies and consulting firms. Notably, Miguel is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, reflecting his expertise in the field.

The Riverside University Health System-Public Health (RUHS-PH) serves a diverse population of nearly 2.5 million people residing in 28 cities and incorporated areas, encompassing an expansive area of 7,303 square miles. RUHS-PH offers a comprehensive range of public services, including disease surveillance and control, health promotion and education, as well as clinical services such as immunizations and tuberculosis testing. The department actively works to prevent and control the transmission of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, while ensuring the safety of food, water, and air within the community. 

Roshona Thomas - Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Services - Philadelphia, PA

Roshona serves as the Training Development and Coordination Manager within the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), specifically in the division of Environmental Health Services (EHS). In this capacity, Roshona is responsible for coordinating the planning, development, monitoring, and evaluation of staff training across four program areas within EHS. These areas include Food Protection and Tobacco Control, Vector Control, Lead and Healthy Homes, and Environmental Engineering, encompassing all EHS employees. 

Environmental Health Services (EHS) operates as a division within the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. EHS is responsible for overseeing four program areas, namely Food Protection and Tobacco Control, Vector Control, Lead and Healthy Homes, and Environmental Engineering. With over 120 employees, primarily engaged in fieldwork, EHS is one of two regulatory agencies within the health department. The mission of EHS is to maintain healthy environments, prevent disease, and promote health in the targeted program areas through education and regulation. 

Emily Creegan - Maryland Department of Health, Laboratories Administration - Baltimore, MD

Emily serves as Public Health Laboratory Scientist within the Laboratories Administration of the Maryland Department of Health. She is an integral part of a team of scientists spread across three laboratories and thirteen specialty laboratory sections. Together, they conduct over 10 million tests annually for various entities throughout the state. Emily's primary area of focus involves utilizing methods to detect coliform bacteria in drinking water samples obtained from community-based systems and private well water supplies. She is also responsible for testing water samples collected from streams and public beaches to determine the presence of E. coli. 

The Laboratories Administration, situated within the Maryland Department of Health, provides diagnostic and reference services to hospitals in Maryland while offering support to local health departments. Additionally, the approximately 230 scientists and support staff within the department conduct environmental testing, which plays a crucial role in safeguarding the health of Maryland citizens. This testing not only contributes to the enforcement of federal regulations such as the Federal Food and Drug Act, Chesapeake Bay Program, Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, and the Federal Safe Drinking and Clean Water Acts but also helps ensure the quality of consumer products.

Shanada Monestime - GO2 for Lung Cancer - Washington, D.C.

Shanada is currently the Director of Community Engaged Research at GO2 for Lung Cancer where she collaborates with community and academic partners to develop interventions to increase access to quality care. Her research interests are centered on the effects of race, social class, and access to care in lung cancer early detection and treatment in populations with a smoking history and radon exposure. In her prior roles, she served as an oncology pharmacist, and an Assistant Professor of Pharmacotherapy in Hematology/Oncology, where she secured grant funding as the principal investigator for several research projects and published several publications on patient-reported outcomes, implementing services for underserved patients, and racial disparities in oncology.

GO2 for Lung Cancer is a national nonprofit patient advocacy organization with extensive experience in patient education and outreach. For more than 25 years, GO2 has connected with communities and provided tailored initiatives to address their needs such as education materials, support groups, clinical trial navigation and matching, and patient/caregiver hotlines. GO2’s scientific research portfolio and extensive connections within the lung cancer screening and clinical care community have led to several community-based health education, outreach, and research initiatives. In addition, GO2 runs the global Lung Cancer Registry to collect patient-reported outcomes and has a lung cancer screening “Centers of Excellence” (COEs) hospital network currently consisting of over 850 hospitals in 42 states that provides a framework for peer-to-peer learning to support the delivery of quality care along the lung care spectrum.

Christopher Lemon - Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine - Baltimore, MD

Christopher joined the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine as an Assistant Professor in late 2021, with a specific focus on the intersection of climate change and health. His firsthand experiences on the frontlines of community emergency medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic led him to recognize two important conclusions: 1) COVID-19 served as a foreboding preview of the climate-related disasters we may face in an uncertain future, and 2) there is much more we can do to prepare our society and healthcare system for these emerging threats. 

The Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine remains dedicated to its original mission, which encompasses excellence in teaching and research, as well as the provision of quality care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Within the department, the emergency department serves as the always-accessible "front door" to the hospital for many patients in the local community of inner-city Baltimore. As an academic teaching institution, learners actively participate in patient care at the bedside, gaining firsthand exposure to the multifaceted determinants of human health, including the impact of the environment. 

Food Systems for Health

Julia McCarthy - New York Health Foundation - New York, NY

Julia holds the position of Senior Program Officer, she plays a key leadership role in advancing the New York Health Foundation's Healthy Food, Healthy Lives priority area. The overarching goal of this initiative is to foster a more equitable food system that ensures every New Yorker has access to the food they need for optimal well-being. Before joining NYHealth, McCarthy served as the deputy director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. In this capacity, she was responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, strategic planning, and the successful execution of various projects. 

The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is a private foundation with a statewide reach dedicated to improving the health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on historically marginalized populations, including people of color. Currently, NYHealth concentrates its efforts on three main priority areas: Empowering Health Care Consumers, Healthy Food, Healthy Lives, and Veterans' Health. In addition to grantmaking, the foundation actively engages in shaping health care policy and practice, spreading effective programs to enhance the health system's equity and effectiveness, convening health leaders across the state, and providing technical assistance to grantees and partners. 

Kelsey Crawford - Tumbling Shoals Farm - North Wilkesboro, NC

Kelsey plays a vital role as the Farm Manager at Tumbling Shoals Farm, located in the rural Appalachian foothills of North Carolina. In this position, Kelsey oversees various aspects of the farm's operations, including the management of the propagation greenhouse, the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and winter production. Kelsey brings valuable experience from her previous role as the Programs Coordinator for Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, where she successfully managed two farmers' markets and played a key role in enhancing the Double Up Food Bucks program. 

Tumbling Shoals Farm is a certified-Organic vegetable farm situated in Wilkes County, North Carolina. With a rich history since its establishment in 2008, the farm is driven by a mission to provide their community with fresh, local, and organic fruits and vegetables. Cultivating over 50 varieties of vegetables across three acres of land, Tumbling Shoals Farm can supply numerous families on a weekly basis through their participation in four farmers' markets, multiple wholesale outlets, and their year-round CSA/Harvest Share program. The farm's commitment to organic practices and their dedication to nourishing the community make them a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture in the region.

Jay Cutler - Michigan Fitness Foundation - Lansing, MI

Jay holds the position of Evaluation Program Manager at the Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF). In this role, Jay actively supports the evaluation of USDA grant-funded programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). These programs focus on addressing food access, nutrition education, physical activity promotion, and policy, systems, and environmental change (PSE) efforts. Jay's responsibilities include designing and conducting formative, process, and outcome evaluations using both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. His evaluation portfolio emphasizes nutrition incentive programming with community-supported agriculture farms and farmers markets, PSE capacity building for community organizations, and analyzing surveys from nutrition education programs to measure healthy behavior change and health-related quality of life.

The Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF) is a non-profit organization committed to promoting active lifestyles and healthy food choices through various strategies, including education, environmental change, community events, and policy leadership. As one of the largest SNAP-Ed Implementing Agencies in the nation, MFF also administers other federal grants, such as GusNIP, Safe Routes to School, and AmeriCorps. The MFF team consists of experts with diverse backgrounds, who specialize in designing, customizing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based programs.

Elizabeth Lewis - The Center for Popular Research, Education and Policy, Wind River Food Sovereignty Project - Fort Washakie, WY

Livy Lewis holds the position of Executive Director at The Center for Popular Research, Education Policy. Additionally, she serves as the Co-Director of the Wind River Food Sovereignty Project, which focuses on supporting community food producers and entrepreneurs from the Wind River Reservation. Prior to her current roles, Livy worked as a Nutrition Educator for Wyoming's SNAP-Education program. She also holds the position of Chair of the Policy working group of the Wyoming Food Coalition, which is the statewide Food Policy Council for Wyoming.

The Wind River Food Sovereignty Project operates under The Center for Popular Research, Education Policy and specifically serves the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho People of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The project's main objective is to promote food production within the community, aiming to increase access to healthy food, enhance local control over food systems, and improve community health, particularly in relation to diet-related diseases. The Wind River Food Sovereignty Project provides support to Native food producers through various initiatives, including technical assistance programs, farmers markets, and addressing the challenges and resource gaps that community members encounter in establishing viable food businesses and distributing their products within the community. 

Ariana Yett - Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. - Newport Beach, CA

Ariana holds the position of Senior Procurement Analyst at Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., where she focuses on understanding and managing the complexities associated with food production and sourcing. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing Chipotle's commissaries, which are value-added processors, to effectively control food costs, ensure food safety, and maintain continuous processing of essential ingredients such as beans, spices, and sauces. Ariana also collaborates with ingredient suppliers to develop long-term procurement strategies that prioritize regenerative agricultural growing practices. In her role, Ariana works closely with various teams, including food safety, quality assurance, and culinary, to strengthen supply chains and promote sustainable food production. 

Chipotle is a fast-casual restaurant chain with over 3,200 locations in North America and Europe. The company is known for its focus on serving "Food with Integrity," which emphasizes the use of real ingredients without artificial additives and sourcing from farmers who employ sustainable and humane practices. In addition to sourcing responsibly, Chipotle is dedicated to driving positive change in food systems and supports initiatives that promote sustainable agriculture. This includes providing seed grants to young farmers and investing in ventures that advance sustainable agricultural practices, aligning with their mission to cultivate a better world.

Violence

Alejandra Casarrubias - Casa de Salud - Albuquerque, NM

Alejandra is the Clinical Manager at Casa de Salud in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is also a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for the state of New Mexico. With over a decade of experience as a registered nurse, Alejandra has been dedicated to providing holistic and bicultural care to patients. Originally from Mexico City, she has implemented a model of care that addresses the needs of trauma victims and patients in various settings. Alejandra's work primarily focuses on serving vulnerable populations in her community with dignity, respect, and a commitment to fighting injustices and inequalities in healthcare. As the clinical manager, she mentors future healthcare leaders and shares her passion for culturally sensitive and compassionate patient care.

Casa de Salud in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an innovative healthcare model that embraces cultural humility, anti-racism, and integration of care. The clinic aims to transform the traditional biomedical model into one rooted in solidarity with the community and collective care. Casa provides accessible primary care, queer/transgender care, harm reduction services, low-barrier and accessible treatment for opioid addictions, as well as case management, acupuncture, reiki, massage, and healing circles for marginalized communities. The clinic has developed a sustainable model for providing low-cost care to uninsured patients.

William Wisner-Carlson - Baltimore Community Intelligence Center, Baltimore City Police Department - Baltimore, MD

William is a detective working in the Baltimore Community Intelligence Center (BCIC) within the Central District of the Baltimore City Police Department. In his role, Will is responsible for gathering and disseminating intelligence related to criminal groups, contributing to investigations involving shootings, carjackings, and homicides. Through his work, he has developed a deep understanding of the cycles of retaliation that contribute to the high levels of gun violence in Baltimore City. 

The Baltimore Community Intelligence Center (BCIC) is an initiative aimed at ensuring effective utilization of technological investments within the Baltimore City Police Department. BCIC's mission involves sharing intelligence internally and externally, ensuring enforcement actions are constitutional and intelligence-backed, and modernizing information sharing within the police department. BCIC detectives, like Will, play a crucial role in making recommendations on patrol deployments, integrating crime trend data, collecting criminal intelligence, and responding to community complaints. The ultimate goal is to enhance information sharing, improve the detection of linked violence, and facilitate more efficient responses by law enforcement in Baltimore City.

Pamela End of Horn - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service (IHS) - Longmont, CO

Dr. Pamela End of Horn is a Public Health Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service (IHS). In her role, Pamela provides oversight to behavioral health grant programs, manages national contracts, develops and implements national policy focusing on suicide prevention within behavioral health. She has co-authored articles published in peer-reviewed journals related to suicide prevention among the American Indian and Alaska Native population.

The Indian Health Service, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally-recognized tribes grew out of the special government-to-government relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. This relationship, established in 1787, is based on Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, and has been given form and substance by numerous treaties, laws, Supreme Court decisions, and Executive Orders.

Megan Amaturo - International Association of Chiefs of Police - Alexandria, VA

Megan is a senior project manager with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Megan oversees several officer wellness projects, including the National Consortium on Preventing Law Enforcement Suicide. She has played an integral role in leading the IACP’s efforts to continually assess and address evolving law enforcement mental health needs. As a member of the Federal Bureau Investigation’s (FBI) Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection (LESDC) task force, she has worked closely with the FBI on the development, launch, and application of the LESDC portal. Additionally, Megan has developed a nationally certified wellness curriculum for police academies nationwide. 

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders, with more than 30,000 members. The IACP mission is to advance the policing profession through advocacy, research, outreach, and education to provide for safer communities. In the modern era of policing, cross-disciplinary and collaborative partnerships, evidence-based policies and practices, and meaningful community engagement are all critical to achieving this mission.

Beth Krafchik - New York City Health + Hospitals/ Correctional Health Services - New York, NY

Beth is a physician and clinician educator with New York City Health + Hospitals/ Correctional Health Services. Unexpectedly, having a background in Emergency Medicine and Palliative Medicine uniquely prepared her for the work with patients inside the city’s jails, where there are enormous rates of trauma and violence. Beth works closely with the Substance Use Treatment and the Young Adult Services teams - with this collaboration she has been able to track down the hardest to reach patients to advocate for them and their care, often in specific housing areas for security reasons related to previous violence.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services is one of the nation’s leading correctional health care systems in quality of and innovations to care and access from pre-arraignment through compassionate release. Correctional Health Services is a pivotal partner in New York City’s criminal justice reform efforts, ranging from alternatives to incarceration to support of successful reentry into the community. In 2016, as a new division of NYC Health + Hospitals, Correctional Health Services became the direct provider of health care in the city’s jails.

Olivia Harris - Speak About It, Inc. - Philadelphia, PA

Olivia has been using theater and the arts to teach healthy relationship skills and prevent sexual violence since 2014. For the past 5 years, she has served as the Executive Director for Speak About It, Inc., a nonprofit consent education organization. She was responsible for the vision, day-to-day operations, and programming and evaluation of Speak About It, which gave her a deep passion for methods of tracking effective prevention practices for folks of all genders. Olivia remains focused on effective messaging and skill-building to prevent sexual violence.

Speak About It uses theater and dialogue to empower students to give and get consent, build healthy relationships, and make change in their communities. Originally created at Bowdoin College in 2009, Speak About It's flagship program is a one-hour show that combines true stories about sexuality, gender, and identity with how-to vignettes focused on positive communication skills. In addition, Speak About It offers a number of supplemental programs for middle school, high school, and college students as well as the parents, caregivers, and adults who support them.

Rena Kates - Baltimore Police Department Training Academy, Education and Training Section - Baltimore, MD

Rena, a J.D., is a Senior Law Instructor at the Baltimore Police Department Training Academy, Education and Training Section, where she teaches constitutional law and criminal law to entry level police officer trainees and delivers legal training to current law enforcement members. Rena has developed and implemented Department-wide courses on topics including Stops, Searches, and Arrests, Hate Crimes, and Youth Interactions. She has also worked closely with the Department of Justice to advance organizational reform under a consent decree, focusing on policy development and implementation, training, and accountability.

The Baltimore Police Department is one of the largest municipal police forces in the United States, staffed by nearly 3,000 civilian and sworn personnel. The Baltimore Police Department is dedicated to upholding the Constitution and enforcing laws in a fair, impartial, and ethical manner. The mission of the Education and Training Section is to: assess the training needs of the Baltimore Police Department; develop and implement safe and effective training that incorporates modern and relevant adult learning modalities; prepare police officer trainees to assume the duties and responsibilities of sworn law enforcement officers; provide continuing education and training to in-service personnel that maintains and enhances their knowledge and skills; provide advanced and specialized training that prepares personnel for new assignments, opportunities for growth in areas of expertise, and promotion to higher ranks.

Maria Coss - Puerto Rico Department of Health’s Commission on Suicide Prevention - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dr. María Coss is a Clinical Psychology Consultant at the Puerto Rico Department of Health’s (PRDoH) Commission on Suicide Prevention (CSP), office in charge of the implementation of public policy on suicide prevention across the archipelago of Puerto Rico. Through the design and implementation of data-driven public health strategies, education, and suicide mortality surveillance, Dr. Coss serves as a public speaker and trainer promoting awareness and helping connect the dots between human suffering and upstream factors such as poverty, inequality, and discrimination, as the groundwork for violence prevention.

The PRDoH’s organizational vision is to be the agency that safeguards the right to health and promotes a preventive, integrated, accessible, and equitable system that properly addresses the public health needs of the communities in Puerto Rico. The PRDoH designs and implements public health policies and strategies that promote, evaluate, and achieve healthy communities, comprehensively considering people and the factors that influence their health. The values that represent the basis of the PRDoH’s work are primary prevention, social justice, responsibility, respect, and trust.

Ashley Hannigan - Injury Surveillance Program, Alaska Division of Public Health - Anchorage, AK

Ashley Hannigan is an Epidemiology Specialist for the Injury Surveillance Program (ISP) within the Alaska Division of Public Health (DPH) where she functions as the Program Coordinator for the Alaska Violent Death Reporting System (AKVDRS) and the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS). The Injury Surveillance Program ensures that timely and accurate injury data are available for analysis and dissemination. Through her work with the Alaska DPH, Ashley collects data on violent deaths and unintentional overdoses in Alaska and works with her Program Manager to collaborate with partners in Injury Prevention to develop data-driven prevention efforts with the intent to decrease morbidity and mortality related to violence and addiction in Alaska.

The Alaska Division of Public Health’s mission is to protect and promote the health of Alaskans, with a vision of Alaskans enjoying optimum health and safety through achieving greater public, community, and personal responsibility for health conditions and choices. The Injury Surveillance program aims to prevent intentional and unintentional injuries and reduce their consequences by gathering data and identifying trends, patterns, and societal impacts. The ISP works with communities, agencies, and organizations to facilitate this mission, promote awareness, and foster safe behavior. The ISP collects data on violent deaths, fatal overdoses, firearm injuries, occupational fatalities, and drowning fatalities.

Karolin Betances - Center for Justice Innovation - New York, NY

Karolin is an Afro-Latinx whose work is centered around upending systemic issues that inhibit her community. An Associate Director at the Center for Justice Innovation, she manages programming across 30 sites throughout New York City, while expanding and developing the organization's mission. In her role, she works to transform responses to harm by working closely with communities that have been impacted by intergenerational violence, and helping them create norms that promote health and safety. Through years of organizing, Karolin recently became one of the two founders at HEALING ROOTS, a consulting group working with communities to co-create spaces that promote inclusivity, accountability, and healing. She is dedicated to providing services to marginalized communities, while continuously seeking opportunities to learn and practice personal cultural humility.

The work of the Center for Justice Innovation (formerly Center for Court Innovation) touches all stages of the justice system, from arrest through reintegration into the community. But their work goes further by seeking to reduce the need for justice system involvement in the first place. The Center for Justice Innovation’s primary long-term goal is to identify and resolve as early as possible the challenges that bring people into the criminal and civil legal systems.

Hazel Brown - Alliance for Gun Responsibility - Seattle, WA

Hazel Brown is the Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. They help address the gun violence epidemic within Washington State through policy development and implementation. In their role, they lead the Alliance’s advocacy team to ensure strong grassroots support for gun violence prevention policies throughout the Pacific Northwest. They also assist with legislative policy analysis, state policy replication efforts, and implementation process of gun violence prevention laws.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility works to save lives and eliminate the harms caused by gun violence in every community through advocacy, education, and partnerships. Founded in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy, the Alliance has made considerable strides in Washington to address and prevent gun violence. Through direct lobbying, PAC endorsements, and advocacy at all levels of government, the Alliance has strengthened Washington’s protection orders, created suicide prevention safeguards, invested in community violence intervention, and most recently banned the sale and transfer of assault weapons in Washington State.

Sandy Chavarria - Georgia Center for Child Advocacy - Atlanta, GA

Sandy Chavarria joined the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy (GCCA) in 2015 and has been their Hispanic Outreach Prevention Coordinator since 2017. In her role, Sandy coordinates, oversees, and recruits bilingual / bi-cultural community members to help prevent child sexual abuse, reduce adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and promote protective factors at all levels of the socio-ecological model within Hispanic communities across the state. This work is done through collaborative efforts that equip adults and youth with awareness, education, and resources to take action. Using evidence-based primary prevention programs and practices, the GCCA Prevention team monitors the number of adults trained in Georgia.

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy (GCCA) is a private, nonprofit agency that was established in 1987. Since 1987, we have provided a safe and healing space for nearly 20,000 children. In 1992, we became the first Child Advocacy Center (CAC) to be accredited by the National Children’s Alliance in Georgia – proudly becoming the 10th agency in the country. Over the last three decades, we have become local, state, and national leaders – helping lead both the response to and outcomes for children who experience abuse, trafficking, and trauma. Collaboration is key.

DrPH

Addiction and Overdose

Camille Kramer - Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People - Baltimore, MD

Camille Kramer is the Research Program Manager for the Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People (ARRWIP) research group at Johns Hopkins University. In this role, Camille conducts mixed-methods research to inform policy and advocacy efforts that address reproductive health care issues for people experiencing incarceration, with a particular focus on pregnant people who use drugs. She is involved in all aspects of ARRWIP’s research studies, including assisting with grant writing and study conceptualization to leading data collection, analysis, and dissemination

ARRWIP is situated at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. ARRWIP’s work is grounded in the teachings of reproductive justice, recognizing the ways that mass incarceration disrupts the core rights of reproductive justice. Our research is positioned at the intersections of reproductive health, health equity, substance use treatment, structural racism, and mass incarceration.  ARRWIP aims to contribute to meaningful change in recognizing the full humanity and value of incarcerated people’s reproductive lives, working with key stakeholders, including directly impacted people and policymakers. In doing so, ARRWIP aims to create opportunities to improve the reproductive well-being of people affected by the criminal legal system.

Philomena Kebec - Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians - Ashland, WI

Philomena Kebec, J.D., belongs to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, where she is working on building systems and supports for harm reduction and overdose prevention, tribal healthcare optimization, small business growth and financing and improving community access to local & traditional foods. Philomena is an attorney and judge licensed to practice law in tribal and state courts and has over a decade of experience providing legal and policy services to tribal nations

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians is an Indian Nation of Turtle Island (North America) that has been exercising self-government, practicing and evolving distinct language and cultural traditions, systems of knowledge and science, engaging in economic development, diplomacy and international trade, and implementing indigenous systems to strengthen and maintain the people, continuously, and prior to the formation of the United States and the State of Wisconsin. The mission statement is an expression of the Band’s progressive purpose: The Bad River Tribe aims to work toward a more progressive, financially stable government, to maintain tribal sovereignty; and enable members to progress individually, towards a more fulfilling life culturally, spiritually, and economically.

Brian Kaplun - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Washington, D.C.

Brian Kaplun is an advisor in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he helps coordinate the Secretary's policymaking agenda. In his role, he facilitates interdepartmental, stakeholder, and White House collaboration on a range of health policy issues, including on substance use disorder (SUD) and overdose policy, one of the Administration’s highest priorities.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services. HHS has 12 operating divisions, including nine agencies in the U.S. Public Health Service and three human services agencies. These divisions administer a wide variety of health and human services and conduct life-saving research for the nation, protecting and serving all.

Americans. The Office of the Secretary (OS), HHS’s chief policy officer and general manager, administers and oversees the organization, its programs, and its activities.

Adolescent Health

Victoria Adewumi - City of Manchester Health Department - Manchester, NH

Victoria is the Community Liaison for the City of Manchester Health Department.  Victoria is responsible for establishing partnerships between local service agencies, nonprofits, hospitals, faith, business, and higher education communities to strengthen overall community coordination to reduce health disparities, with a focus on adolescents. She plans and delivers resident leadership programs, leads City-wide initiatives to support the well-being of opportunity youth, and health equity initiatives and training for the Manchester Health Department. Victoria also provides ongoing support for Community Health Workers (CHWs) based in schools and other settings throughout NH, by creating professional development programs, peer connect groups, and CHW program evaluation. 

The City of Manchester Health Department (MHD) is an innovative and proactive local health department grounded in the principles and application of the core public health functions. Its mission is “to improve the health of individuals, families, and the community through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats” with an aim to work both across its branches and with other community partners to improve public health. The branches include Neighborhood and Family Health, Infectious Disease, Environmental Health and Emergency Preparedness, Healthy Aging, and the Community Health Worker Public Health and Safety Team Program. 

Environmental Challenges

Rebecca Reindel - American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) - Washington, D.C.

Rebecca Reindel is the Safety and Health Director at the national AFL-CIO where she brings key and emerging information on workers’ safety and health exposures to federal, international and state policy making. In these efforts, she brings together many stakeholders to assess and characterize workplace exposures, testifies in front of policy makers, and brings working conditions from the shop floor to the halls of government. 

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is the democratic, voluntary federation in the U.S. of 60 national labor unions representing 12.5 million working people across a wide variety of industries. Through its national seat and federated bodies in every state of the U.S., the AFL-CIO helps make workplaces safe and equitable and gives working people a collective voice to address workplace injustices without fear or retaliation. The federation comprehensively tracks worker injuries, illnesses and deaths from physical, chemical and biological hazards and has been a leader in efforts to reduce the burden of work-related chronic disease. The federation focuses on multi-level interventions and gives workers a seat at the table to address hazards in their workplaces.

Keana Kaleikini - Collective Medicine - Farmington, NM 

Keana Kaleikini currently serves as the Associate Director and Chairwoman of the indigenous nonprofit, Collective Medicine, which focuses on revitalizing communities in her region. Keana serves as the administrative leader for the organization, spearheading strategic planning, partnerships, fundraising and bringing the team’s vision of tribal water equity to life. 

Collective Medicine is an indigenous organization committed to restoring quality of life to tribal nations in our region by addressing the essential needs of people across the Navajo Nation and beyond through our cultural value of community service. Its main project, Water Warriors United, focuses on improving water security for families by preventing exposures to harmful environments and reducing burdens associated with inequity to access of clean water.

Food Systems for Health

Lauran Larson - Oklahoma State Department of Health - Oklahoma City, OK

Lauran is the Lead Wellness Coordinator with the Oklahoma State Department of Health. She works with multi-disciplinary organizations statewide to facilitate and administer the State Obesity Prevention Plan Stakeholders Group. Lauran works closely with the state’s hunger relief organizations on food insecurity efforts including the development and implementation of a state action plan to improve nutrition security and strengthen community clinical linkages through screenings and interventions. Lauran also leads the physical activity and nutrition team to provide technical assistance and subject matter expertise to local level program staff working on a variety of evidence-based strategies such as healthy food retail, farmers markets, and safe routes to school. 

The Oklahoma State Department of Health protects and improves public health through its system of local health services and strategies focused on preventing disease. Five major service branches - Community Health, Family Health Services, Prevention and Preparedness, Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and Protective Health Services - provide technical support and guidance to 68 county health departments as well as guidance and consultation to the two independent city-county health departments in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. 

Angela Suarez - La Clinica del Pueblo - Washington, D.C.

As the Program Evaluation Manager for La Clinica del Pueblo (La Clinica), Angela has led various multi-year program evaluations and currently leads La Clínica's evaluation’s efforts as a grantee for Maryland's CHRC Pathways for Health Equity Initiative, which focuses on addressing health disparities in Diabetes Care in the Latino community. Angela is responsible for collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, and using findings to generate recommendations for program improvements. Additionally, Angela monitors wrap-around support services and community outreach for patients with diabetes and design plans to extract encounters, touchpoints, biomarkers, and qualitative data from clients' electronic medical records. Finally, Angela also leads community assessment analysis that informs and guides La Clinica’s advocacy work for health insurance reforms and safety-net programs for the uninsured.

La Clínica del Pueblo is a nonprofit, community-based organization and federally qualified health center committed to delivering high-quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate health services and education to the low-income Latino/a/x immigrant community. Our holistic approach allows patients a seamless continuum of care within our practice while also reducing barriers and improving health outcomes in the broader community through outreach and education. 

Sarah Reinhardt – U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service - Washington, D.C.

Sarah analyzes data using quantitative and qualitative methods to advise the development of USDA Food and Nutrition Service policy, programmatic and legislative initiatives. The Food and Nutrition Service’s nutrition assistance programs, used by one in four people in the US during the course of a year, help ensure children, income-eligible individuals, and families have equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable foods that promote optimal health and well-being. Sarah works to support child nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program by conducting research on operational and supply chain challenges, providing economic analysis of proposed regulatory changes, and improving the reach and impact of federal grants

The USDA provides national leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management. The vision of the USDA is to provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve the nation's natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands. 

Violence 

Sarah Newman - Booz Allen Hamilton - Washington, D.C.

Sarah Newman is a Lead Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, leading analytics and research support for Department of Defense (DoD) projects geared at preventing sexual assault and other harmful behaviors. As Booz Allen Hamilton’s data analytic and research lead, she provides public health expertise for DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO).  Sarah’s professional interests lie in applying public health research and evaluation methods to complex personnel issues, such as sexual violence, suicide, and harassment/discrimination.

For more than 100 years, military, government, and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital solutions, engineering, and cyber, Booz Allen helps organizations transform. Booz Allen is a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by their most sensitive agencies. Booz Allen works shoulder-to-shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision.