Alumni in the News

 

  • Dr. William Holubek MPH'11 has been named the Chief Medical Officer at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health.  In his new role, Dr. Holubek will oversee the medical and clinical aspects of the hospital, collaborating with leaders throughout Baptist Health to shape policies and procedures. Read more.
  • Tanya Khubchandani MPH'10 has founded Elixir Wellness, a pioneering company dedicated to reshaping the healthcare landscape in India by prioritizing preventive care, and named the Company of the Year 2024 by The CEO Magazine. Read more.
  • Dr. Anne Beal MPH’93 has joined the Board of Directors of Omada Health, a virtual-first healthcare provider.  Read more.
  • Margaret Crotty MPH’16 and her husband were honored at the 2024 United Hospital Fund Gala for their important work at the intersection of health care, public health, and biotechnology. Read more.
  • Emily Katz MPH’08 is joining Van Scoyoc Associates as a vice president and head of the firm’s health care team. She was previously a managing director at Prime Policy Group and chaired their health policy practice. Read more.
  • Dr. Nikhil Kumta MS’06 a distinguished leader in the field of advanced endoscopy, has been named chief of endoscopy at NYU Langone Health’s Tisch Hospital and Kimmel Pavilion in Manhattan. He will also serve as an associate professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Read more.
  • Dr. Angela Diaz MPhil'06, PhD'16 has been named the recipient of the Trailblazer Award by the The Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University (LAACU). Read more.
  • Quarraisha Abdool Karim MS'89 and Salim S. Abdool Karim MS'89 have been named 2024 Lasker Award winners. The 2024 Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award recognizes the Abdool Karims’ global contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Read more.
  • Ricardo Rivera Cardona MHA’17 has been appointed President of the health services conglomerate, MMM Holdings LLC. In this role, he will prioritize the implementation of initiatives focused on the emotional health and wellness of older adults, the expansion of strategic alliances with providers and healthcare professionals, as well as compliance with regulatory standards.
  • Neilg̱áa Koogéi Taija Revels MPH’20 has been named Executive Director of The Goldbelt Heritage Foundation. Read more.
  • Stephanie Nelson Wimmer MPH’01 has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities NH, the state’s largest human services organization. Read more.
  • Dr. Sten Vermund PhD’90 has been named Dean of the University of South Florida Health College of Public Health. Read more.
  • Dr. Ana Mendez MPH’15 has been named to the board of trustees of Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island where she is the chief of ambulatory pediatrics and a faculty member in the Pediatrics Department. Read more.
  • Matthew Zhou MPH’17 has been appointed Assistant Chief Data Officer at the California Office of Data and Innovation. Read more.
  • Chelsea Clinton MPH’10 has been appointed to the selection committee of the global Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The Aurora Prize is a $1 million award that recognizes individuals who risk their own lives to save the lives of others suffering due to violent conflict or atrocity crimes. Read more.
  • Tanya Khubchandani Vasta MPH’10 was named to HerStory’s 100 Emerging Women Leaders series for her work as founder of Elixir Wellness, a Mumbai-based wellness center that offers preventive care, skin care, and anti-ageing solutions. Read more.
  • Dr. Shailja Dixit MPH’05 has been named to the New Jersey Business Journal 2024 People to Watch in Health Care. Dr. Dixit is the founder and CEO of Curio Digital Therapeutics. She is recognized for her company’s product MamaLife Plus becoming the first prescription digital therapeutic cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for postpartum depression. Read more.
  • Ari Markenson MPH’98 has been being recognized by Chambers and Partners USA for 2024 in the Healthcare category. This is his fourth year being recognized in this category. Read more.
  • Helen Arteaga-Landaverde MPH’01 is the recipient of the 11th annual Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize. The Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize honors individuals and not-for-profit organizations for distinguished accomplishments in the field of urban public health. She was recognized for her role, as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, leading the city’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
  • Marc Ballas MPH’00 has joined MOMA Therapeutics as Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development. In this role, he will oversee the company’s clinical function, with initial focus on the development of MOMA’s two lead precision oncology assets as they progress into the clinic in the near term. Read more.
  • Dr. Anne Beal MPH’93 has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Brown University. Dr. Beal is the founder and chief executive officer of AbsoluteJOI Skincare, a science-based clean beauty company for women over 35. Prior to co-founding AbsoluteJOI in 2019, Dr. Beal was chief patient officer and senior vice president of patient solutions with Sanofi, a global health care company headquartered in Paris.  Read more.
  • Dr. Cheryl Pegus MPH’92 has been named to the board of directors of Boston Scientific Corporation. Dr. Pegus has more than 25 years of clinical and business leadership experience, most recently serving as a partner at Morgan Health focused on improving the quality, affordability and equity of health care. Read more.
  • Dr. Sandro Galea DrPH’03 has been named the inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the Washington University’s planned School of Public Health. The school will concentrate on researching and advancing solutions to pressing issues and building partnerships for real-world impact in critical areas such as infectious disease; mental, global and environmental health; and dissemination and implementation science. Read more.
  • Dr. Karsten Risch MPH’12 has been honored by MM+M as a winner of the 2024 Pinnacle Award for his career in healthcare marketing. The Pinnacle Awards program celebrates the medical marketing industry's most venerable marketers, strategists and creators. Read more.
  • Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert MPH’15 has been appointed to the new leadership role of Medical Director of the Center for Environmental Health by the New York State Department of Health. Read more.
  • Patrick Branch MPH’15 has been appointed Head of Business Development for Japan and the APAC region at Nxera Pharma. He will be based in Nxera’s Tokyo office and will oversee Japan and regional disease area strategy, search and evaluation, and transaction activities. Read more.
  • Dr. Beverly Kay Johnson MS’13 has joined the Rheumatology team at NY Health. Dr. Johnson specializes in Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and is trained in musculoskeletal ultrasound. Read more.
  • Dr. Katharine (Kate) O’Connell White MPH’04 has been named the new Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Read more.
  • Victor DeStefano MPH’16, President of Empire BlueCross BlueSheild, was named to Crain’s New York Business 40 Under 40. Read more.
  • Susan Browning MPH’92, western regional president of Nuvance Health and president of Vassar Brothers Medical Center, has been named to the Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress Board of Directors. Directors on Pattern’s board support its nonprofit mission to provide objective research and planning to the Hudson Valley by helping the organization with strategic planning, governance, fundraising, and by bringing the nonprofit’s work to regional leaders who can use it for action. Read more.
  • Michael Ludwig MPH’12 has been named partner at HLM, a leading healthcare investment firm backing innovative and category-defining services and technology companies. Read more.
  • Victor DeStefano MPH '13, has been appointed as President of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. Motivated by the question of "Why is health care so expensive?", he is passionate about using digital health tools to better serve New York's diverse patient population. Howard Margolies, a mentor to DeStefano, said that the president is more than prepared for his role. “He’s one of the rare people in the health insurance industry who want to make a difference". Read more.
  • Angela Bannerman Ankoma MPH ’17 has been appointed to the Rhode Island Cannabis Advisory Board. Per state statute, the Cannabis Advisory Board will work in collaboration with the Cannabis Control Commission to advise and issue recommendations on the use, commerce, regulation and effects of adult-use and medical cannabis within the state. Read more.
  • Andrea Ducas MPH '12 is joining the Center for American Progress as vice president for Health Policy. In this role, she will coordinate CAP's cross-cutting, organization-wide priority to strengthen health and lead the Health Policy team within the Inclusive Growth department. Read more.
  • MSPH Alumni Board and HPM Alumni Advisory Board member, Ari Markenson MPH ’98 has been elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Markenson joins the global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. Membership is limited to 1% of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and elected by the ABF board. Read more.
  • Dr. Pamela Collins MPH ’97 has joined the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as chair of the Department of Mental Health. Dr. Collins comes to the Bloomberg School from the University of Washington, where she directed the Consortium for Global Mental Health since 2018 and served as a professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and as a professor in Global Health. Previously, Collins served on the faculty at Columbia University in New York and in senior leadership at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Read more.
  • Dr. Jennifer Montes MPH ’05, Breast Surgeon and Founder of Evolve Pink, was recently selected as Top Surgeon of the Year for 2023 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for her outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. Read more.
  • Jed Litwiniuk MHA’ 19, co-founder of Auxilius Pharma, raised $1 million in seed funding to develop the company’s lead asset, AUX-001, an innovative new medication for treating chronic-stable angina pectoris in the US, a condition affecting 11 million Americans over the age of 20. Read more.
  • Victor DeStefano MPH ’16, Empire's general manager of commercial business, has been appointed to serve as interim president of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. Read more.Victor DeStefano MPH ’16, Empire's general manager of commercial business, has been appointed to serve as interim president of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. Read more.
  • Margaret M. Crotty MPH '16 has been elected the new chair of the Northwell Health Board of Trustees. She is the first woman to chair Northwell's board. Read more.
  • Columbia Mailman Alumni Board member, Mia Minen MPH ’04 appeared on CBS News to discuss a program she developed called “Headache and Arts”. The Program utilizes the intersection of arts and science to teach middle and high school students about neurological conditions such as migraines and concussions. Read More.
  • Dr. Olajide Williams MS ’04, who is currently Professor of Neurology and Associate Dean of Community Research and Engagement, will serve as Vice Dean for Community Health at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. As Vice Dean, he will establish an advisory committee to advance health equity and access for Washington Heights, Inwood, and West Harlem, and will be charged with moving the needle on community health and achieving meaningful progress in our ability to improve patient outcomes and treat preventable diseases that disproportionately affect our local community.
  • The following alums were named to this year’s Crain’s New York Business Notable Leaders in Health Care:
    • Kristin Myers MPH ’15, Executive Vice President, Mount Sinai Health System 
    • Sanjiv Shah MPH ’10, Chief Medical Officer, MetroPlusHealth
  • Yolonda C. Richardson MPH ’93 has been appointed by the Board of Directors as the new president and CEO of The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. She is currently the organization’s Executive Vice President for Global Programs.
  • Columbia Mailman Alumni Board President, Kyle R. MacDonald MPH '19 has been named the first Chief Science & Program Officer at Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation), one of the nation's preeminent children's health organizations. Read more.
  • Paul Alexander MPH ’87 has been named to the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), the state's largest community development financial institution. Dr. Alexander is currently Executive Vice President, Chief Health Equity and Transformation Officer at RWJBarnabas Health, where he is responsible for the health system's social mission developing strategies to promote the health and wellness of the communities served, including employees. He was recently recognized as a Black healthcare leader to know by Becker's Hospital Review. Read more.
  • After 38 years at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs in jobs ranging from a program officer for Latin America to deputy director of the center, Alice Payne Merritt MPH ’85, has announced she will be retiring in June. Read more.
  • Anthony J. Fiore MPH ’04 has been appointed Chief Program Officer of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). As Chief Program Officer, Mr. Fiore will oversee programs and operations supporting an annual budget of approximately $1.5 billion and guide major business units at NYSERDA including Clean and Resilient Buildings, Renewable Energy (Distributed and Large-Scale), Clean Transportation, Innovation, Communities/Partnerships, Operations, and NY Green Bank totaling more than 300 professionals responsible for NYSERDAs programmatic and operational achievements. Read more.
  • Karl Minges MPH ’10 has been named to the Connecticut Magazine 40 Under 40. Recognized as an expert on improving the health of vulnerable populations, Minges not only chairs UNH’s Population Health and Leadership Department, but is also founding director of the university’s Master of Public Health program, and in 2021, became the first recipient of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant in UNH history. Read More.
  • Dr. Gladys M. Ayala MPH ’07, who has served as vice dean and professor of medicine at NYU Long Island School of Medicine, was named the school’s new dean and chief academic officer.
    Read more.
  • Dr. Zeil B. Rosenberg MPH ’85 has been appointed Executive Vice President, Medical for Infectious Disease Programs at Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Read more.
  • Suzanne Kirkendall MPH ’18 co-authored a new publication in the Cochrane review, “Interventions for improving health literacy in people with chronic kidney disease”.  Read more.

Do you have an update we can celebrate?  Please email THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS at MSPHALUM@COLUMBIA.EDU to let us know! Click here to see our alumni archives!