Our Team
Ana Jimenez-Bautista, LMSW, MA
Executive Director, Community Health Collective
Ana Jimenez-Bautista, LMSW, MA, has devoted over 35 years to advancing community well-being through education, research, and public health practice. With more than 25 years of service at Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital, she currently serves as the Executive Director of the Community Health Collaborative (CHEC) and the Director of Field Practice at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
In this role, Ana provides strategic leadership to strengthen partnerships among students, faculty, and community organizations. Her contributions have been central to the development of the Office of Field Practice and the Applied Practice Experience (APEx), the required internship program for MPH, MHA, and DrPH students. She has also expanded opportunities for experiential learning through the creation and coordination of domestic and international practicum sites, including school-wide international placements.
Her professional expertise includes community organizing and coalition building, health advocacy, sexual and reproductive health, qualitative research, youth and parents education, and program development and implementation. Guided by a lifelong mission to improve human well-being and reduce health disparities, Ana continues to bridge academic scholarship with community practice to advance equity in public health education and outcomes.
Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz, ScD
- Faculty Lead for Community
- Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Dr. Tamayo-Ortiz is an environmental and occupational health epidemiologist at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health. Her research focuses on the impact of environmental exposures on maternal-child health, with a strong commitment to community-based approaches. She has extensive field and scientific experience through collaborations with multi-institutional and bi-national birth cohorts. Her dedication to public health has included directing the Occupational Health Research Unit at the Mexico Social Security Institute—the largest provider of health and social benefits in Latin America—and leading prevention initiatives in rural Mexico. She previously served as chair of the Latin America and Caribbean Chapter of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), becoming a Fellow in 2024.
Dr. Tamayo-Ortiz is also passionate about mentoring and takes great pride in guiding graduate students as they develop their research and careers.
Ying Wei, PhD
- Faculty Lead for Data
- Professor of Biostatistics
Dr. Wei's research focuses on quantile regression, longitudinal data, and semi-parametric models, with a particular emphasis on developing methodologies for constructing longitudinal growth charts. Her work aims to provide a more personalized assessment of an individual’s growth status by incorporating personal profiles into the analysis. Dr. Wei’s methodologies offer flexibility by avoiding assumptions about the underlying distribution and accommodating unequally spaced measurement time points. She has also investigated effective techniques for making inferences, diagnosing model goodness-of-fit, and assessing uncertainty in screening based on the estimated models.
Nicole Bayne, RN, MPH'21
- Program Manager
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Leisa Herrera, EdD
- Administrative Assistant
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Faculty Advisory Committee
The Faculty Advisory Committee provides strategic guidance to the CHEC executive director and faculty leads. In addition to reviewing and providing input on strategic planning, the advisory committee supports CHEC’s connections with internal and external resources to promote CHEC’s establishment in the fabric of the school, ensure its alignment with key constituencies, and achieve its economic sustainability.
Heather Butts, JD, MPH
- Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management
Heather Butts, JD, MPH, MA, is an assistant professor at Columbia University and the co-director of the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) program. She specializes in health law, ethics, and public health education, integrating legal and policy perspectives into her teaching and research. With a diverse background in law, public health, and education, Professor Butts has developed innovative programs to enhance student learning and engagement. She is also the founder of L.E.A.R.N. for Life Consulting, an organization focused on academic and professional development.
Alwyn T Cohall, MD
- Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at CUMC
- Professor of Population and Family Health at CUMC
- Professor of Pediatrics at CUMC
Dr. Cohall is a board-certified physician specializing in adolescent medicine and public health. In his role as a professor of Pediatrics and Public Health he has been instrumental in advancing youth health initiatives. Dr. Cohall is also the director of the Harlem Health Promotion Center and the New York City STD Prevention Training Center, leading efforts to address health disparities and improve access to care for underserved populations. His work spans a range of public health concerns, including sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and chronic disease prevention.
Mary Beth Terry, PhD
- Professor of Epidemiology (in Environmental Health Sciences)
Mary Beth Terry, PhD, is a professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. She also serves as executive director of Silent Spring Institute, a non-profit research institute, committed to discovery and translation of the role of environmental chemicals on cancer risk. With extensive experience leading NIH-funded research, she investigates the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors in cancer susceptibility. A dedicated mentor and educator, Dr. Terry plays a critical role in training future public health professionals. Her research has been instrumental in shaping policies aimed at reducing health disparities and improving cancer prevention strategies. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is an active contributor to national and international scientific collaborations.
Robert E Fullilove, EdD
- Professor of Sociomedical Sciences (in Social Work) at CUMC
- Adjunct Full Professor, Teachers College
Dr. Robert E. Fullilove is the associate dean for Community and Minority Affairs and a professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He is also the co-director of the Cities Research Group and has authored numerous publications on minority health. A nationally recognized public health leader, Dr. Fullilove has served on multiple Institute of Medicine committees addressing substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and public health policy. He has held advisory roles at the CDC and NIH, contributing to national health initiatives. Beyond academia, Dr. Fullilove is committed to education and prison reform, teaching public health courses in New York State prisons through the Bard Prison Initiative.
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Virginia A Rauh, ScD, MSW
- Jane and Alan Batkin Professor of Population and Family Health at CUMC
Dr. Rauh has been a member of Columbia’s faculty since 1984 and is currently the Jane and Alan Batkin Professor of Population and Family Health and vice chair of the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health. A leading expert in perinatal epidemiology and environmental health, she focuses on the impact of environmental exposures on child health and development, particularly in underserved communities. As a co-deputy director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, Dr. Rauh has played a pivotal role in studying the effects of pollutants on neurodevelopment and respiratory health. Her work has contributed to policy changes aimed at reducing environmental health risks.
Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH
- Professor of Sociomedical Sciences
In addition to her role as a professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Dr. Shelton is the associate director of research at the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion. A social and behavioral scientist, she focuses on health disparities, cancer prevention, and the long-term sustainability of community-based health interventions. Dr. Shelton’s work examines how structural and social determinants shape public health outcomes, particularly in underserved populations. She has secured multiple research grants and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.
