Neil Mehta, a Public Health and Statistics concentrator, is a journalist who has covered housing for The Wall Street Journal, WNYC and Gothamist. In 2024, he served as president and editor-in-chief of The Brown Daily Herald, the student-run paper of record at Brown University. Currently, he is a research assistant at the Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research at Brown's School of Public Health. Neil was previously an intern at the National Institutes of Health and a research assistant in the Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity at the School of Public Health.

Throughout her graduate studies, Jenna Grossi consistently demonstrated outstanding academic performance, earning top grades across all courses. Her active participation in synchronous sessions, thoughtful contributions to discussions and deep engagement with course material reflected both intellectual rigor and a strong commitment to learning. She exemplifies the qualities of a scholar and a leader in public health.

Matthew Campos is a graduating MPH student concentrating in Health Services. His research focuses on understanding chronic disease outcomes among Hispanic older adults, and how healthcare utilization and quality differs among Medicare beneficiaries in the US. After graduation, he plans to continue gerontology research in both industry and academia, translating evidence into tangible insights that improve health outcomes for older adults.

Sirui Zhang is a graduating Master of Public Health student at Brown University and an incoming Epidemiology Ph.D. student. Her research focuses on medication safety and real-world data in older adult care. Outside of academics, she enjoys dancing, singing and staying active through tennis and basketball.

Emma, with a background in Public Health and Economics, became interested in Medicare's "value based payment design" while working at a healthcare-focused investment bank. She chose to focus her Master’s thesis on an early initiative within this design. Analyzing Medicare data, she examined the program's impact on the quality of care in dialysis facilities. Her research led to the insight that the financial penalties for poor care quality might not effectively deter facilities from prioritizing profit, given the industry's average profit margin.

Yuliya Velhan is a graduating senior studying public health as a part of the UG/MPH Program. Yuliya has worked with Brown's Pandemic Center during her time at Brown, focusing her research on health security and pandemic preparedness and response. She has served as a teaching assistant for the courses Pandemic Game Changers: Preparing the Next Generation of Decision-Makers for Emerging Bio Threats, Global Public Health Interventions as well as head teaching assistant for Genetics. Her honors thesis focused on identifying principles that define community-level public health capabilities and key factors essential for measuring infectious disease preparedness and response. Outside of Brown, Yuliya interned at the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR), contributing to federal-level biosecurity and pandemic preparedness and response efforts.

Anna Alikani is known for her passion for mentoring, teaching and advancing public health research. Her commitment to educating the next generation of public health professionals is exemplified by her formal mentoring roles and affiliation with the Society for Public Health Education as well as her service as a faculty engagement graduate assistant through Brown's Swearer Center. She is also deeply involved in scholarship and research, particularly focused on maternal and child health outcomes. Whether through her teaching or her research, she has made a lasting impact on students, staff, faculty and the School of Public Health community.

Clarissa Garcia is a leader, mentor and advocate within the School of Public Health and beyond. During her time at Brown, she served as the community partnerships chair for the SPH Graduate Student Council, the leadership affairs chair for the Students for Latinos/Latinx Public Health Club, a DEI ambassador and a valued mentor for first-year students as a biostatistics teaching assistant. As a Rhode Island Department of Health scholar and research assistant at Brown's Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute, she consistently championed inclusion and representation in the broader Rhode Island community. Her goal post-graduation is to continue community-based work in Rhode Island.

Derrick Webb’s impact expands from Brown's School of Public Health, throughout Providence, across the U.S. and globally. He spent his MPH practicum conducting mixed-methods research in Nairobi, Kenya in partnership with Brown's Global Emergency Medicine Department. His work on HIV/AIDS brought him to both the International AIDS Society Conference and the White House Rising Leaders Summit: Shaping the Future of HIV Today. His research and direct engagement with those impacted by the legal system in Rhode Island exemplify his deep commitment to health equity. Derrick also served as a thoughtful representative of Brown through his work as a student ambassador and Health Equity Scholar.

Mikaela Byers brings an unwavering commitment to justice to all aspects of their public health practice, helping to craft a more inclusive and reflexive public health field. Their engagement with harm reduction stakeholders at Brown and beyond fostered interdisciplinary dialogues, helping to build community, disseminate vital public health information and influence policy. Through their roles as recovery and substance-free program assistant in the Donovan Program for Recovery and Substance-Free Initiatives and a research assistant in the People, Place & Health Collective, they have made a lasting impact on harm reduction practices in Rhode Island.

Dr. Troy Nash has advanced public health by integrating affordable housing and health care through the Ville Wellness Campus in North St. Louis—a project he co-developed with CareSTL Health that includes 120 affordable housing units and a comprehensive health clinic. By addressing social determinants of health and promoting holistic, community-centered care, Dr. Nash’s work has improved health outcomes, influenced policy and become a model for reducing health inequities in underserved neighborhoods.

While enrolled in Brown’s online MPH program, Samantha deepened her commitment to maternal health equity through a practicum with SisterWeb Community Doulas and active participation in Black Maternal Health Week. This led to the co-founding of Sonoma County’s Perinatal Equity Collaborative, where she now serves in a leadership role—guiding mission development and helping establish key initiatives to support Black maternal health, workforce development and respectful, bias-free care. Samantha has also been a dedicated and supportive peer at the school, serving as a teaching assistant, organizing study sessions and fostering community within the program.

Diahmin Hawkins has made a notable impact to advance diversity, inclusion and equity through her leadership across the Brown University campus and beyond by creating a more welcoming and affirming environment for all. Her unwavering commitment to creating inclusive spaces, amplifying marginalized voices and promoting community-centered wellness is exemplified by her roles as the DEI coordinator for the Pre-College Program, DEI representative for the Department of Biostatistics and master’s liaison for the Samuel Nabrit Black Graduate Student Organization. Her commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity expands into her research on opioid harm reduction, partnering with community-based organizations like Project Weber/RENEW.

Laini Tuboku-Metzger’s research on women’s health and stigma started during her undergraduate studies and continued throughout her time at Brown. During her time as a research fellow with Dr. Erica Walker, she created PERIOD, an activity book designed to teach girls, especially Black and Brown girls, about their periods. Her research and participation in the Health Equity Scholars program exemplifies what it means to advance equity, inclusion and health justice through combining scholarship, community engagement and advocacy to make tangible change. Laini will attend Morehouse School of Medicine, where she aspires to become a primary care physician and work with historically marginalized communities to improve health outcomes.

Amelia was the first Graduate Student Council representative from the online MPH program and made several contributions to her program to ensure her peers felt included. Amelia served as a point of contact between students and the program administration. She fostered community in the student-run Slack groups and went above and beyond her role's requirements to create a welcoming atmosphere for incoming students. She worked with program staff to create processes that are still in place. As one of the students in the first cohort of the program, Amelia helped shape the responsibilities of Graduate Student Council representatives.