2024-2025 Fellows
Zainab Beg
Zainab Beg is a Master of Health Administration candidate at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Her academic and professional experiences reflect a deep passion for transforming healthcare systems to be more equitable, efficient, and inclusive. At NewYork-Presbyterian, Zainab served as a Hospital Administration Intern, where she developed data-driven solutions to improve outpatient appointment adherence and post-discharge care, contributing directly to improved continuity of care and patient outcomes.
As a FORWARD Fellow, Zainab leads the Untold Stories initiative, where she researches health equity frameworks and curates educational materials to amplify marginalized voices in public health. Her commitment to narrative change and inclusive education also stems from her earlier work in oral health advocacy, where she created accessible resources for underserved communities.
Zainab co-founded and served as President of a pre-dental organization and held a leadership role in a children’s oral health advocacy initiative, where she led interactive educational programs in under-resourced elementary schools. These experiences deepened her dedication to health education, strategic outreach, and community empowerment.
Drawn to the FORWARD Fellows program by its mission to uncover and elevate overlooked narratives in public health, Zainab is eager to continue bridging history, health equity, and advocacy. Through this fellowship, she aims to champion stories that inspire systemic change and foster a more inclusive vision of public health leadership.
Chandrima Doley
Chandrima Doley (she/her) is a second-year Master of Health Administration (MHA) candidate at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She currently supports enterprise-level initiatives at Sutter Health, where she began as a Management Intern under the mentorship of the Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Chandrima has contributed to optimizing perioperative workflows, advancing patient readiness protocols, and building predictive staffing models to improve access and efficiency across care settings. She will continue working with Sutter following graduation.
Before coming to Columbia, Chandrima practiced as a dentist in India. Her clinical training and public health outreach work in underserved rural communities exposed her to the systemic gaps in healthcare delivery—particularly for populations with limited access to quality care. These experiences sparked her interest in health systems management and patient-centered operational reform.
Chandrima a member of the Mishing tribe from Northeast India—a region celebrated for its ethnic and linguistic diversity but long marginalized in broader national narratives. Growing up in a racially segregated tribal neighborhood, she witnessed firsthand the effects of inequitable policies on access to education, health services, and opportunity. These early experiences deeply shaped her values and drive to work toward systemic equity in healthcare.
Chandrima is honored to join the FORWARD Fellows program—a space that reflects her personal and professional mission to move beyond performative inclusion toward transformative, anti-racist action. As a first-generation healthcare provider-turned-administrator, Chandrima hopes to use her platform to advance equity-driven innovation, and reimagine healthcare systems that work for all.
Courtney George
Courtney George graduated from the Sociomedical Sciences department at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with a certificate in Health Communication. She is committed to advancing health equity by helping individuals, particularly those in underserved communities, access the resources and support they need to thrive.
At Columbia and beyond, Courtney has engaged in a range of initiatives focused on advocacy, education, and care. She helped design trauma-informed care trainings for staff at community-based organizations, earned a certification in health and wellness coaching and supported university students through individualized coaching, served as a R.I.S.E. (Resilience, Inclusion, Solidarity, and Empowerment) peer mentor, and was a teaching assistant for courses on race and health. Her team was awarded first place in Columbia’s Health Messaging for Justice Competition for their impactful work.
As a fellow with the Digital Learning Studio’s PLACE FORWARD project, Courtney contributed to innovative approaches in public health communication and education. She is especially passionate about the intersection of media and public health and is interested in leveraging storytelling across film, television, and social media to promote health literacy, reduce stigma, and share evidence-based messages in culturally relevant, accessible ways.
Through her work, Courtney aims to amplify marginalized voices and bridge the gap between public health knowledge and lived experience. She envisions a future where inclusive and strategic communication is a driving force for community empowerment and systemic change.
Nicki Harris
Nicki Harris is a second year MPH student in the Sociomedical Sciences department pursuing a certificate in Health Promotion Research and Practice. As a FORWARD Fellow, she collaborates with SMS leadership to design an anti-racism conference centered on social justice and health equity. Outside of her FORWARD Fellowship, Nicki currently serves as a Ryan White Program Planning Fellow at the NYC Health Department where she conducts qualitative research and stakeholder engagement to improve HIV service coordination for marginalized communities. Her background also includes over four years of clinical research experience at Stanford University, where she managed complex clinical trials, oversaw significant budgets, and trained junior staff. Nicki’s passion for program planning is profoundly rooted in a commitment to addressing the disproportionate burden of chronic and infectious diseases within BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. She is driven to develop and implement culturally competent interventions that dismantle systemic barriers to ensure equitable access to care and improved health outcomes for these populations.
Xanthia Lam
Xanthia is a 2025 MPH graduate from the department of Health Policy and Management with a certificate in Health Policy Analysis. Prior to this degree, Xanthia earned their BA in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Xanthia is a dedicated and passionate public health professional interested in community health, children's health, and trauma/mental health and aims to use their work to improve the quality of life for marginalized community members. Born and raised in Oakland, CA below the poverty line to disabled immigrant parents, Xanthia's resilience and work ethic is a force that allows her to make the changes she wishes to see in the world. Xanthia's community centered values have been a guiding force in their work and life as they committed themselves to fostering strong relationships in the spaces they occupy.
During their time at Mailman, Xanthia was a R.I.S.E mentor and mentee, TA, GSC, and of course a FORWARD Fellow. Outside of school, Xanthia held internships with the Center for Innovation & Value Research (Patient Engagement), ADAPT Community Network (Quality Improvement), and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Data Analysis). Xanthia hopes to continue their work centering community voices in spaces that have typically excluded them, creating accessible pathways and resources for community members to live their best lives, and curating space for authentic connection to be fostered.
Khoa Nguyen
Khoa Nguyen (he/him) is a 2nd year MPH student in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences with a certificate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Hailing from in Saint Paul, Minnesota, he hopes to explore the world and his interests in how infectious and chronic diseases influence and are influenced by socioeconomic and sociocultural factors. Besides being a FORWARD Fellow, he has also been an HRTP Intern for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use, Prevention, Care, and Treatment, where he conducts data abstractions on substance overdose data among other tasks. He has also been a Health Educator for Project STAY, where he was a former Public Health Intern over the summer, working to make HIV and STI testing more accessible to underserved populations. In school, he was a Core TA for Determinants of Health and worked as a student support worker for the Office of Educational Initiatives. He was also the Director of Marketing for Columbia AAPIDAH and had been involved in R.I.S.E., MOSAIC, GLE, SHAG, QHTF, Columbia VSA, and SLEI. What drew him to the FORWARD program was the opportunity to work on a project that specifically targets problems affected by institutional racism and systemic disparities while engaging while diverse student and faculty perspectives.
Nae Nhae Nudshanunth Pasahahnunwut
Nae Nhae Nudshanunth Pasahahnunwut is a second-year MPH student in the Epidemiology Department with a certificate in Global Health. She aspires to become a leader in global health diplomacy and security, with particular interests in health systems strengthening, mental health, and international development.
During her time at Columbia, she served as an HRTP intern with the NYCDOH’s Policy and Planning team in the Bureau of Children, Youth, & Families, focusing on generative AI legislation and children's mental health. For her summer APEX, she deepened her global health engagement as a QI and Capacity Building Intern with ICAP in Maseru, Lesotho, supporting national HIV programs. She also contributed as a research assistant for the RAISE initiative in the Population and Family Health Department, advancing global conversations on sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian settings.
Her leadership extends beyond academics through multiple impactful roles. As a member of SIPA's International Fellows Program, she has advocated for health as a human right at the United Nations and the U.S. Capitol. She founded and served as President of End Overdose Columbia, creating Mailman's first student-led naloxone training and overdose prevention education program. Additionally, she co-authored a children's book focused on health and racial justice that won first place in a school-wide competition.
Nae Nhae was drawn to FORWARD Fellows because of her guiding belief that equitable public health is rooted in community. Through her FORWARD project "Untold Stories,” she hopes to amplify overlooked narratives and create meaningful connections that advance health equity, racial justice, and collective well-being.
Jahnavi Rajiv
Jahnavi Rajiv is a second-year international MPH student from India in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, pursuing a certificate in Global Health. A board-certified dentist, Jahnavi brings a multidisciplinary lens to public health, shaped by her clinical background and global fieldwork.
Her work has focused on reproductive health among tribal populations in India, national survey coordination in Cameroon, and serving on India’s COVID-19 Emergency Task Force. At Columbia, she has continued her commitment to equity and access by volunteering with Community Health Advocates, helping to address structural barriers and improve healthcare access for marginalized populations in New York and contributing to the Global First Ladies Alliance, where she supports initiatives to advance gender equity worldwide.
Jahnavi also serves as a co-lead in the University Life Student Council, where she helped launch several campus-wide wellness initiatives. These included end-of-semester events aimed at promoting mental health, relaxation, and community support during finals week.
She was drawn to the FORWARD Fellows program for its focus on equity-driven leadership and its commitment to dismantling systemic barriers. Her passion lies in improving health outcomes by fostering inclusive, cross-disciplinary solutions that uplift populations and enhance quality of life globally.
Natassia Walker
Natassia Walker (she/her) is a second-year MPH candidate in the Department of Health Policy and Management, with a certificate in Chronic Disease Epidemiology. She is deeply committed to advancing social justice in healthcare and public health and aspires to become a health policy analyst and director of advocacy and organizing.
Natassia is currently a Research Fellow and Assistant Project Coordinator for the FAIR Start Program in Staten Island, where she analyzes data and implements community outreach strategies to improve food access and healthcare among underserved populations. Her previous roles include a graduate teaching assistant for the U.S. Health Systems. During her APEx, she served as an administrative and research data analysis intern at New York-Presbyterian’s Farrell Community Health Center, where she focused on increasing cervical cancer screening rates.
Natassia brings a background in civic engagement and community organizing from her time as a NYU LEAD Democracy Fellow at Protect the Vote, where she led voter education initiatives in Georgia during the 2022 midterm elections. At Mailman, Natassia serves as Treasurer of the Future Healthcare Leaders Student Organization, Co-President of the Reimagining Infection Safety and Engagement Organization, Research Assistant for the Mailman Public Health Untold Stories Project, and is a member of the Black & Latinx Student Caucus.
Natassia was drawn to the FORWARD Fellows Program for the opportunity to work collaboratively and intentionally toward transforming CUIMC into an antiracist, inclusive institution. She is passionate about uncovering and dismantling the root causes of exclusionary practices in predominantly white institutional spaces.