Bloomberg American Health Initiative Announces 10th Cohort of Fellows Working to Address Critical U.S. Health Challenges

Sixty individuals awarded full scholarships at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to pursue degrees while serving communities across the country

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health today announced its 10th cohort of Bloomberg Fellows: 60 leaders working to improve health and life expectancy in communities across the United States. Representing 24 states and Washington, D.C., the fellows work in 57 organizations ranging from government agencies and legal nonprofits to dental practices, food pantries, and community health centers.

Each fellow is employed by an organization working to make progress in one of the Initiative's five focus areas: addiction and overdose, adolescent health, environmental challenges, food systems for health, and violence. Fifty fellows will receive full scholarships to pursue Master of Public Health degrees, and 10 fellows will receive full scholarships to pursue Doctor of Public Health degrees. The fellows remain engaged with their organization during their degree program course of study and continue their employment for at least one year after graduation.

“This fantastic group of Bloomberg Fellows are working on the front lines of urgent public health challenges across the U.S.,” says Josh Sharfstein, MD, vice dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement and director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. “They will gain the skills and experiences here to broaden and deepen their impact.”

To date, the Bloomberg American Health Initiative has supported 504 Bloomberg Fellows, representing 388 collaborating organizations from 43 states, two territories, and Washington, D.C. The fellows and their organizations form a national network of collaborators who continue to work with the Initiative after the fellow has finished the program. Fellows in previous cohorts include health department professionals, teachers, librarians, city planners, and community outreach workers.

“I am thrilled to welcome this extraordinary group of fellows to the Bloomberg School, where they will receive world-class education and training, mentorship, and become part of a powerful network for change,” said Keshia Pollack Porter, PhD, MPH, dean of the Bloomberg School. “We are eager to support them in achieving their ambitious goals to improve health in communities across our nation.”

This year, the Initiative launched a new collaboration with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to strengthen the integration of primary care and public health within the largest primary care network in the U.S. The new cohort of Bloomberg fellows includes five individuals from health centers across the country, who will develop projects both with their employers and NACHC.

"NACHC is proud to partner with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative to equip health center leaders with the tools to tackle critical public health challenges," said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, president and CEO of NACHC. "Community health centers serve 52 million people nationwide, and this fellowship allows leaders to advance their education while continuing to serve their communities and advance health for all." 

The Bloomberg American Health Initiative, established in 2016, trains public health leaders and supports research, partnerships, and policy change to help more Americans live longer, healthier lives.

The 2026 Bloomberg Fellows and their organizations are:

MPH Fellows

Addiction and Overdose

• Julia Ettelbrick - Sun River Health - New York, NY*
• Alexandra Warren - Legal Action Center - Brooklyn, NY
• McKenzie Taylor - The Wright Center for Community Health - Kingston, PA*
• Melanie Wellstein - Baltimore City Health Department - Baltimore, MD
• Tricia Bautista - NYC Health + Hospitals - New York, NY
• Laurel Huston - Treatment Alternatives for Stronger Communities - Chicago, IL
• Colin Myers - University of Maryland School of Medicine - Baltimore, MD
• James Monks - RealFix Paterson - Paterson, NJ
• Rachel Warner - JSI Research & Training Institute - Boston, MA
• Rania Mohamed - Baltimore City Health Department - Baltimore, MD
• Lauren Kestner - Center for Prevention Services - Charlotte, NC

Adolescent Health

• Shadille Estepan - Born This Way Foundation - New York, NY
• Allison Gendreau - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
• Nayeli Tello - San Francisco Department of Public Health, Special Programs for Youth - San Francisco, CA
• Lia Jo DeStefano - The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
• Marzena Maksym - Centro SOL - Baltimore, MD
• Chloé Wiley Nettles - The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation - Baton Rouge, LA
• Vanessa Vergara - Capitol Advocacy Partners - Washington, D.C.
• Margo Franz - Washington State Department of Health - Tumwater, WA
• Shamsun Nahar - Center for Pan Asian Community Services - Atlanta, GA*
• Deja Logan - Child Trends - Rockville, MD
• Adina Hill - Public Health Management Corporation - Philadelphia, PA
• Esther Gershenson - American Psychiatric Association - Washington, D.C.
• Jay Jeon - KindEd - Chicago, IL

Environmental Challenges

• Alexander Haworth - New Ecology Inc. - Baltimore, MD
• Maria Russo - West Virginia Rivers Coalition - Charlestown, WV
• Kruttika Gopal - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Washington, D.C.
• Vanessa Thomas - Climate Justice Alliance - Los Angeles, CA
• Emily Mosbaugh - Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development - Baltimore, MD
• Hannah Mayhew - Dorchester County Health Department - Cambridge, MD
• Michelle Clark - Southern Plains Tribal Health Board - Oklahoma City, OK
• Michael Keuler - Marion County Health and Human Services - Salem, OR
• Cara Skillingstead - Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations - Missoula, MT*
• Kalehua Tolentino - The Queen’s Health System - Honolulu, HI

Food Systems for Health

• Gabriel Garcia - UCSD Center for Community Health - San Diego, CA
• Zainab Pixler - Cleveland Department of Public Health - Cleveland, OH
• Jazarah Shim - Capital Area Food Bank - Washington, D.C.
• Skye Witley - Bloomberg Industry Group - Arlington, VA
• Jordan Hersh - D.C. Central Kitchen - Washington, D.C.
• Louie Martinez - Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico - Albuquerque, NM
• Roxanne Johnson - Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming - Bemidji, MN

Violence

• Amelia Harmon - RAMS, Inc. - San Francisco, CA
• Ama Amponsah - Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence - Wilmington, DE
• Atlas Scagnelli - New Jersey Department of Health - Trenton, NJ
• Shannon Sullivan - Baltimore Police Department - Baltimore, MD
• Andre Moore - UI Health Mile Square Health Center - Chicago, IL*
• Paige Tetens - Everytown for Gun Safety - New York, NY
• Kathy Serrano - U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women - Washington, D.C.
• Marcus Johnson - Center for Justice Innovation - New York, NY
• Kimberly Gutierrez - The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence - Washington, D.C.

*Fellows supported by the National Association of Community Health Centers 

 

DrPH Fellows

Addiction and Overdose

• Valencia Lyle - City of Detroit Mayor’s Office - Detroit, MI

Adolescent Health

• Erika Lobe - New Jersey Department of Health - Trenton, NJ

Environmental Challenges

• Julia Rubin - Sonoma County Department of Health Services - Santa Rosa, CA
• Chtaura Jackson - Fairfax County Health Department - Fairfax, VA

Food Systems for Health

• Kimberly Pettigrew - United Way of Greater Knoxville - Knoxville, TN
• Vanessa Beltran - Sustainable Food Center - Austin, TX

Violence

• Shelby Hoffman Binder - The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence - Chicago, IL
• Cory Cole - Minnesota Department of Health - Saint Paul, MN
• Sierra MacEachron - Franklin County Public Health - Columbus, OH
• Tierra Lemon - Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office - Waukegan, IL