Meet the Alumni Board

The New York University School of Global Public Health Alumni Association serves to support NYU and GPH through the creation and engagement of an involved, passionate, international alumni community. The mission of the GPH Alumni Association is to support the vision and legacy of the school by creating opportunities to foster the academic and professional development of current students and alumni, as well as strengthen the relationship between alumni and their alma mater.

We invite you to meet the Alumni Board members working to lead this charge. Like the entire GPH Alumni Association, they strive for unity among a highly diverse and growing alumni community, providing a strong foundation upon which the school can grow.

2020-2021 Alumni Board

DeRonn Kidd, MPH '14

President

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Victoria Good, MPH '18

Vice President

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Manpreet Sachdev, MPH '19

Secretary

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Cori Hammond, MPH '17

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Samara Mbugua, MPH '14

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Farhan Mohsin, MPH '22

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Mulanga Muofhe, MPH '09

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Acacia Sharma, BA '20

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Jave’on Thompson, MPH '22

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Victoria Good, MPH '18

Victoria Good graduated with her Master’s in Public Health Nutrition in 2018. While studying for her undergraduate degree, Victoria’s focus in nutrition and psychology created a desire to learn more about the systems of inequity as they are affected by nutrition. Her interest in public health was fully realized when she volunteered as an emergency medical technician and worked as a clinic manager in a small Appalachian town in Virginia. She continued to follow her passion by joining the founding executive board of the Nutrition without Borders club while a student at GPH. Victoria participated in the Alumni Taskforce, working with a group of alumni to develop the GPH Alumni Association by-laws. As an inaugural member of the Alumni board, she has enjoyed looking for opportunities to involve all alumni, and work to create meaningful connections and communities around the globe.

Personal Note:

In her free time, Victoria enjoys playing with her dog, going on hikes in her home, the Pacific Northwest, and knitting. When she is not visiting a local yarn shop or enjoying the outdoors, she can be found reading all manner of books with a cup of tea by her side. She is also a group fitness instructor.

 


 

Cori Hammond, MPH '17

Cori Hammond graduated with her Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Community & International Health in 2017.  She is currently a Research Associate II in the Patient-Centered Research division of Evidera, an international contract research organization. There, she is a partner on many qualitative research studies on clinical research outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures.  She was formerly a Senior Research Associate and Project Coordinator at Partnership to End Addiction in New York City. As a part of the Partnership’s Science & Technology of Early Prevention (STEP) team, Cori’s research focused on the development of innovative messaging techniques that aim to prevent substance misuse in pregnant and postpartum populations. In the past, she has worked on grant-funded projects focused on a variety of topics including school-based risk behavior prevention programs, family therapy as treatment for substance use, and incarceration health.

Cori has presented research at the annual conferences for the American Public Health Association, AMERSA (The Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction), and The Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit.

Cori was a member of the Alumni Taskforce, assisting with the creation of the by-laws for the GPH Alumni Board, as well as an inaugural member of the board. She is excited to represent recent alumni for a third year and create meaningful engagement opportunities between students and their alma mater. She is especially looking forward to reconnecting with the Global Public Health community in person and being a part of the school’s inspiring future.

Personal Note:

Originally from North Carolina, Cori has also lived in New Orleans, Copenhagen, and now finally Brooklyn, New York.  Her hobbies include golf, yoga, heavy metal shows, ballet, and contemporary dance. She is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and spends most of her free time exploring the craft beer scene around Bushwick.

 


 

DeRonn Kidd, MPH'14

DeRonn Kidd received his Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community and International Health in 2014. He is currently serving as a Senior Manager at Aetna, one of the nation's largest health insurance companies and a part of CVS Health, the nation’s largest healthcare company. In this role, DeRonn is responsible for leading the health education service programs and strategy for select Medicaid markets to support the provision of quality and cost-effective health services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate as well as assures the successful development and implementation of the health equity strategy and accreditation for these markets.

Prior to his current role, DeRonn worked on the Health Services Strategy and Innovation team at CVS Health. Prior to joining CVS Health, DeRonn worked with various healthcare and public health organizations in New York City including The Mental Health Services Corps, NYC Health + Hospitals, and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where he led various initiatives focused on behavioral health, care management, and primary care transformation. He also previously gained experience in global pharmaceuticals at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Inc. where he worked as part of a global team responsible for leading the largest prospective drug trial on multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis to ever be conducted.

DeRonn holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Master of Business Administration from The Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. He is a member of the National Black MBA Association and The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. DeRonn is honored and excited to be part of such an experienced and talented Board who share a commitment to empowering leaders in public health. He looks forward to helping GPH engage its community and drive impactful solutions as well as advancing its mission and contributions around the globe.

Personal Note:

Originally from Detroit, DeRonn resides in Manhattan and enjoys traveling, exploring the art and food scene, photography, watching movies, spending time outdoors, listening to live music, attending plays on Broadway, and cooking.

 


 

Samara Mbugua, MPH '14

Samara Mbugua graduated with a Master of Public Health in Community & International Health in 2014. She currently serves as a Life Sciences Senior Consultant at Capgemini Invent, the strategy and business transformation arm of Capgemini. In this role, she works to develop patient-centric solutions that address key business challenges at leading Life Science organizations.

Prior to this role, Samara worked as a Global Health Analyst for Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD), where she led public-private partnerships aimed at increasing access to BD’s products, resources and clinical consultants in Africa and Asia. Additionally while at BD, Samara worked as a consultant to hospital clinicians to ensure their adoption, optimization, and overall success utilizing BD’s disease surveillance software. She also gained experience at the United Nations where she focused on peace and security activities in Africa, and has expertise in emergency management at the federal level and in the field as an Emergency Medical Technician.

Samara previously served as the inaugural President of the GPH Alumni Board and is excited to continue her commitment to GPH. Leveraging her past experience and vision for the future, she intends to strengthen the engagement of GPH’s global network while demonstrating to current and prospective students the range of career opportunities within public health. She is also excited to collaborate with GPH’s talented board members to build a stronger sense of community among alumni.

Personal Note:

Samara hails from Lawrence, Massachusetts and enjoys traveling, fitness and reading. She is committed to supporting social justice initiatives and advocating for disenfranchised communities.

 


 

Farhan Mohsin, MPH '22

Farhan Mohsin, MPH, has a fervent passion for mitigating health inequities, which is demonstrated through his experience in research and teaching. He currently works at the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity at NYU Langone, where he embraces a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to tackle the complexities of health disparities. His research interests, centered on chronic diseases and mental health in underserved communities, serve as a testament to his unwavering commitment to making a positive impact.

Personal Note:

Farhan lives in Queens, New York. In his leisure time, he enjoys playing soccer, practicing jiu jitsu, cycling, traveling, and reading.

 


 

Mulanga Muofhe, MPH '09

Mulanga Muofhe is an NYU Steinhardt alumnus, MPH (with a concentration in international community health) class of 2009.  She is the founder of Mulanga Muofhe Natural Beauty, a premium natural and organic skincare brand targeting specific black skin concerns. On the side, she is also an independent transcriptionist with 3PlayMedia.

Before this, Mulanga worked as the Project Manager on Inclusive Health Innovation at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a specialized unit at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. In this role, she worked as the co-secretariat for the Social Innovation in Health Initiative, which is a partnership comprised of the Bertha Centre, the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the TDR, the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, hosted at the World Health Organization—who’s united effort provides leadership to advance social innovation in health in developing countries, with the ultimate goals to achieve the SDGs and improve the lives of communities in the south. She also served as the project manager overseeing the Health Systems Entrepreneurship operational grant--a joint partnership with Johnson & Johnson to advance Maternal Child Health (MCH) by supporting mHealth organizations scale through engagement with the public sector, all while moving towards health systems integration.

Being a part of the Alumni Board will allow Mulanga to serve as a conduit between past graduates from Steinhardt and the new Global Public Health community as well as creating an avenue for students to engage with organizations in the global south. She is also excited to be part of a diverse group of individuals who are passionate about public health and are eager to support alumni-related issues and events.

Personal Note:

Originally from South Africa, Mulanga spent over 20 years in the United States, making both East Lansing, MI and New Hyde Park, NY home. She currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa. She enjoys traveling, exploring wine farms, the magnificent beaches and scenery, new eateries as well as taking in an evening of the arts.

 


 

Manpreet Sachdev, MPH '19

Manpreet Sachdev graduated with her Masters in Public Health in 2019 after completing her undergraduate coursework at NYU’s College of Arts and Science. She is currently a Manager on the CVS Health Omnichannel B2B team, where she is focused on creating differentiated digital experiences for patients who use CVS as their primary pharmacy. Prior to her current role, Manpreet was a member of the Digital Engagement Strategy team, where her work was centered on transforming CVS Health into a digital first healthcare company and enhancing the patient experience.

Before joining CVS Health, Manpreet worked at various nonprofits and leveraged her analytical background to deliver compelling stories that lead to smarter, data-informed decisions for the organization. She had the opportunity to work directly with patients and manage various social determinants of health programs in the NYC Health and Hospitals system, where she worked to empower patients with the tools to augment their primary care experience. Her diverse background lends to her participation in public health career panels to demonstrate the various career pathways available to a public health graduate.

Manpreet is excited to be part of an innovative group to create meaningful opportunities for other GPH alumni, while cultivating an engaged and driven community of public health professionals.

Personal Note:

Manpreet lives in her hometown of Queens, New York. She spends her free time reading fiction novels, going on scenic drives and hikes in the Northeast with family, exploring the coolest new food trends with friends, and chasing after her red labrador, Bronco.

 


 

Acacia Sharma, BA'20

Acacia graduated with her Bachelor’s of Science in Global Public Health and Biology from NYU in 2020, and is currently a program coordinator in the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone Health. In this role, she coordinates surgical rotations for medical students, evaluates and analyzes key performance indicators of the surgical programs, and develops new teaching initiatives to improve these indicators. Outside of work, Acacia volunteers as an emergency medical responder with her local EMS company, and is a certified barre instructor. She enjoys doing barre workouts, reading, trying new brunch spots, and traveling.

She is excited to collaborate with other alumni to help foster community and promote public health engagement!

 


 

Jave’on (Jay) Thompson, MPH '22

In 2020 with the help of the Gates Millennium scholarship, Jay joined the Violet community as a 1st year Master of Public Health (MPH) student concentrated in Policy and Management. During his time at New York University (NYU), he was a graduate resident assistant, a senator for NYU’s School of Global Public Health (GPH), the Alumni Relations’ Chair for Student Government, a graduate assistant at New York City Treats Tobacco, and a graduate assistant at the Center for Multi-cultural Education and Programs. In 2022, Jay Thompson graduated with an MPH. A special thank you to the GPH family that is striving to “re-invent the public health paradigm” (NYU GPH) and has prepared amazing pioneers in the public health field.

After graduating NYU, he started working as a Government and Public Services (GPS) analyst at Deloitte LLP Consulting, the consulting arm of Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu Limited. In this role, he works to make an impact that matters by improving outcomes that impact the public, collaborating with key stakeholders to solve the most pressing issues, and developing solutions that are connected, resilient, and sustainable for GPS across the United States. In addition, Jay is a purpose ambassador and active participate in the inclusion councils at Deloitte.

Jay is honored to serve as a general member of the GPH Alumni Board. As a General Member, he intends to bring all the skills he learned from his personal and professional experiences to work alongside our community members to support “The mission of the GPH Alumni Association [which is] …to support the vision and legacy of the school by creating opportunities to foster the academic and professional development of current students and alumni, as well as strengthen the relationship between alumni and their alma mater”.

Personal Note:

Jay was born in Florida. In 2020, he graduated with a Bachelor of Art in Anthropology from Wake Forest University, and he was accepted into Peace Corps Ukraine. Amid the global pandemic, Jay worked as a Biological Scientist III (Contact Tracer) at the Florida Department of Health supporting the fight against COVID-19. Outside of work and school, Jay is an avid traveler, tennis player, and reader.