The Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is announcing its 2019 cohort of Bloomberg Fellows, each drawn from an organization working on one of five health challenges facing the nation: addiction and overdose, environmental challenges, obesity and the food system, risks to adolescent health and violence.
Fifty have been awarded full scholarships to earn a master of public health degree, and eight individuals have been selected to pursue a doctor of public health degree.
This year’s fellows come from a wide array of organizations including school systems, libraries, advocacy organizations, police departments and community health clinics. Examples include:
- Soccer Without Borders–which uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change for immigrant youth.
- Child Justice–an organization that provides pro bono legal services in child custody cases.
- The International Association of Chiefs of Police– which brings evidence and best practices to police departments across the country.
- Deep South Center for Environmental Justice–which focuses on families harmed by pollution and vulnerable to climate change in the Gulf Coast Region.
The 2019 cohort, the third and the largest to date, includes fellows and organizations spanning twenty-four states and the District of Columbia: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
“This diverse class of Bloomberg Fellows will use public health skills to tackle some of our nation’s most difficult health problems,” says Bloomberg School Dean Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD, ScM. “Our faculty will collaborate with both the fellows and their organizations on these key areas to improve health and save lives.”
“Public health methods can help address many of the big challenges that are causing U.S. life expectancy to decline and, in doing so, they can strengthen communities and improve a lot of lives,” says Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and World Health Organization Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. “We’re glad to welcome this new group of fellows, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they and their organizations can achieve.”
Launched in 2017, the Bloomberg Fellows program provides full scholarships for full- or part-time study. Fellows agree that upon completion of the program, they will work for their collaborating organization for at least one additional year.
The 2019 Bloomberg Fellows and their organizations are:
MPH Fellows
Addiction and Overdose
- Diana Smith – Legacy Medical Group – Portland, OR
- Joanna Mlicka-Anderko – NJ/NY High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas – Newark, NJ
- Joseph Buffaloe – Southwest CARE – Santa Fe, NM
- Nathan Kittle – HealthPoint CHC – Auburn, WA
- Rachel McFadden – University of Pennsylvania Health System – Philadelphia, PA
- Sasanka Jinadasa – Reframe Health and Justice – Washington, D.C.
- Thaddeus Pham – Hawaii Department of Health – Honolulu, HI
- Zeina Saliba – George Washington University Department of Psychiatry – Washington, D.C.
Environmental Challenges
- Alivia Coleman – Stratford Health Department – Stratford, CT
- Braden Hickey – U.S. Indian Health Service – Lake Havasu, AZ
- Eli Pousson – Baltimore Heritage Inc. – Baltimore, MD
- Leah Ford – Food and Water Watch – Washington, D.C.
- Sadie Derouin – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Fitchburg, WI
- Sadiqa Kendi – Children’s National Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center – Washington, D.C.
Obesity and the Food System
- Amelia Hulbert – Boulder County Public Health – Boulder, CO
- Caroline Rains – RTI International – Durham, NC
- Julie M. Pike – Indiana University School of Medicine – Indianapolis, IN
- Lacy Stephens – National Farm to School Network – Bozeman, MT
- Natalie J. Tunzi – HealthCorps – Salinas, California
- Phebe Gibson – ChangeLab Solutions – Oakland, CA
- Susan E. Kornacki – Montgomery County Food Council – Bethesda, MD
Risks to Adolescent Health
- Amanda Brosnan – Tarrant County Public Health – Fort Worth, TX
- Casey Thomas – Soccer Without Borders – Boulder, CO
- Elaina Tully – Philadelphia FIGHT – Philadelphia, PA
- Emily Witkowski – Maplewood Memorial Library – Maplewood, NJ
- Jasmine S. Calhoun – Saginaw County Youth Protection Council – Saginaw, MI
- Joanne M. Tremblay Jackson – Hartford Public Schools – Hartford, CT
- Kaitlyn Jones – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Washington, D.C.
- Mara Aussendorf – Public Health Management Corporation – Philadelphia, PA
- Maria Hamm – Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services – Helena, MT
- Mary Odell – Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School – Baltimore, MD
- Nicholas Pisca – Los Angeles County Department of Public Health – Los Angeles, CA
- Pamela Villa – Urban Youth Alliance BronxConnect – Bronx, NY
- Stephanie Buggs – Walter Carter Elementary and Middle School – Baltimore, MD
- TyWanda L. McLaurin-Jones – Howard University – Washington, D.C.
Violence
- Annaka Scheeres – Get Healthy Philly – Philadelphia, PA
- Audrey Eisemann – International Association of Chiefs of Police – Alexandria, VA
- Caitlin Burke – Women Helping Women – Cincinnati, OH
- Christopher Carita – Fort Lauderdale Police Department – Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Erin Miller – Newton-Wellesley Hospital – Newton, MA
- Janel Cubbage – Maryland Department of Health, Behavioral Health Administration – Baltimore, MD
- Janice Miller – House of Ruth Maryland – Baltimore, MD
- Jenifer Pauliukonis – Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence – Parkville, MD
- Katherine Chon – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Trafficking – Washington, D.C.
- Kelly Burke – International Association of Chiefs of Police – Alexandria, VA
- Kristen McGeeney – International Association of Chiefs of Police – Alexandria, VA
- Martin Bartness – Baltimore Police Department – Baltimore, MD
- Melissa Box – ABC Counseling and Family Services – Normal, IL
- Molly Deane – Harbor-UCLA Medical Center – Los Angeles, CA
- Paul Griffin – Child Justice – Colesville, MD
DrPH Fellows
Addiction and Overdose
- Jacqueline Hackett – White House Office of National Drug Control Policy – Washington, D.C.
- LaTasha Barnwell – Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center – Baltimore, MD
Environmental Challenges
- Della Wright – Deep South Center for Environmental Justice – New Orleans, LA
- Emily Hall – Texas Department of State Health Services – Austin, TX
- David Harvey – U.S. Public Health Service (Indian Health Service) – Rockville, MD
Obesity and the Food System
- Amber Canto – Extension Institute for Health & Well-Being – Madison, WI
Risks to Adolescent Health
- Wadezah McCullough – Montefiore School Health Program – Freeport, NY
Violence
- Sami Jarrah – Philadelphia Department of Health – Philadelphia, PA
More about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative is available online at http://americanhealth.jhu.edu in a special supplement to Public Health Reports at http://bit.ly/amhealth.
For additional information about the Bloomberg Fellows program, contact Shannon Jones, acting communications director, at sjone242@jhu.edu or (202) 378-3533 (cell).
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Media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Barbara Benham at 410-614-6029 or bbenham1@jhu.edu and Robin Scullin at 410-955-7619 or rsculli1@jhu.edu.
