Like many students at GPH, Toluwalase Akinluyi, a.k.a L.A., has allowed her public health experience to take her beyond New York City. Currently a second year masters of public health student concentrating in public health policy, LA works with NYU Langone Health on public health policy related research, travels to present at various conferences and continues to learn how policy can create the largest impact on the health of those she aims to serve. Her tenacity caught the eye of ASPPH's This is Public Health who nominated her to be a Public Health Ambassador and GPH was more than happy to endorse her position.
Now among 90+ ambassadors for public health schools and initiatives, L.A. and her peers have attended This is Public Health fairs and annual meetings to engage with prospective and current public health leaders, voice the perspective on health policy and see how policies are both enacted and reinforced. L.A. finds that working with ASPPH allows her to see real policy work in action. In this article, she gives us an inside look to her most recent trip as an ASPPH Ambassador on Capitol Hill during the ASPPH Annual Meeting. Read below to follow what she describes as an experience centered around the undeniable impact of public health in various ways.
DAY 1- Poetry Clinic at First Abu Dhabi Bank
In celebration of women’s month in March, I led a therapeutic poetry session for the women at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) in Washington, D.C. Using art, such as poetry, as a public health tool is something I started to embrace at GPH. It allows you to truly connect with your audience on an emotional level and create an impactful way to not just provide information and perspectives but to influence the community as a whole. At FAB, women from different backgrounds and roles come together to connect on one commonality—being women. They enjoyed every bit of the Poetry Clinic and were inspired to continue impacting and thriving. Bearing in mind the “healer health thyself” mantra and as a lover of art, later that day, I made sure to soak in some positive energy of my own at the colorful International Art Gallery.
Pictured: (Right) Women from FAB and L.A. sitting around the table for the poetry clinic. (Left) L.A. at the International Art Gallery.
DAY 2 - Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Hill Day 2025
ASPPH's 2025 Hill Day provided ASPPH members, including ambassadors like myself, with the opportunity to discuss the critical need to invest in public health and highlight ASPPH’s FY 2026 appropriations requests. We commenced the day with advocacy training at the Rayburn House Office Building. Boris D Lushniak MD, MPH, Dean and Professor of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, and Mark Mioduski, Principal and Director of Cornerstone Government Affairs, gave us the much needed motivation to share our stories and perspective, even as student ambassadors.
Pictured: (Left) L.A. with Boris D Lushniak, a fellow Ambassador and Mark Mioduski. (Right) ASPPH Ambassadors outside of Representative Donald Beyer's office.
We were, then, divided into groups for simultaneous congressional meetings occurring in different buildings across the Hill—most of which were named after historical senators. For example, the Rusell Senate Office Building was named after Richard B. Russell and has a statue of him inside.
My peers and I had productive meetings with Virginia’s congressional leaders in the offices of Senator Mark Warner, Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Donald Beyer. Alongside Dr. Melissa Perry, Dean of George Mason University, and Lady Dorothy Elli, a fellow ASPPH Ambassador, I was able to share my experience as a Public Health candidate at NYU GPH and Research Assistant at NYU Langone Health to emphasize the need to prioritize public health funding.
Pictured: (Left) ASPPH Ambassadors with Dr. Melissa Perry. (Right) L.A. standing next to the Richard B. Russell statue.
After a day full of meetings, I stepped outside to see the U.S. Capitol's ornate dome with the American flag and the quintessential springtime beauty of Washington, DC and its blooming cherry blossoms. Giving myself a time to take it all in, I must say this was a very prideful moment for me. Only few things are as rewarding for someone who flew over 6000 miles from Nigeria and transitioned from clinical practice to purse a Master’s in public health at NYU GPH. It always feels fulfilling to advocate for population health. These images capture a moment of professional pride against the iconic backdrop of American democracy—the U.S. Capitol Building.
Pictured: (Left) L.A. standing outside of the U.S. Capitol Building. (Right) Blooming cherry blossoms.
DAY 3 - World Happiness Summit
My visit to D.C. turn out to occur during a prime time for several other public health related conferences across the city. One of my favorite GPH professors Dr. Alden Lai posted on LinkedIn that he would be moderating a panel at The World Happiness Summit- a world happiness report launch event scheduled to take place while I was in town. I was excited to attended an event that turned out to be such a “happy” ending for my D.C. trip centered around the undeniable impact of Public Health in various ways.
Dr. Lai moderating an insightful panel session examining the impact of food and lone dining on wellbeing. The panelists, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre and Chika Morishima, Executive Officer and Vice President of Ajinomoto, briefly explained how food associated with well-being is more than the nutritional value, it's about the social activity and how sharing meals supports happiness and social connections. I then chatted with Dr. Catalina Crespo-Sancho, Costa Rican Ambassador for the U.S. With Costa Rica being ranked one of the top ten happiest countries, she shared helpful insights on how prioritization of health and education fosters peace in Costa Rica, which ultimately leads to happiness.
Pictured: (Left) L.A. with Dr. Lai at the State of Happiness in 2025 summit. (Right) Dr. Lai moderating a panel discussion.
Pictured: (Left) A chart of "Countries Ranked by Happiness" with the top and bottom 10 countries from 2022-2024. Finland leads the board while Afghanistan receives the least ranking. (Right) A ‘happy picture” of L.A. with Dr. Catalina Crespo-Sancho, Costa Rican Ambassador to the US.
It's safe to say I practiced what was preached at the Happiness Summit as I wrapped up my trip. I used the last bit of time to explore the Smithsonian American Art Museum and bonded with some friends over a good meal before catching my return train to New York.
