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In the fifth grade, we were given an assignment to bring in our favorite book to share with the class. With a strong sense of pride and a desire to help others, I squeezed The Doctors Book of Home Remedies in between the row of colorfully decorated Judy Blume and Goosebumps novels. What was I thinking?! My teacher probably thought my childhood was being suppressed, my fellow 10-year-old classmates were most likely confused by my contribution, and I just felt proud to share my fascinating book on “cures”. Needless to say, I knew from a young age that health would be my area of focus.

I have worked in the field of public health since 2009, with a strong emphasis on health education and communication. My focus on developing educational programs for patients with asthma, afforded me the opportunity to present my work to clinicians of the Shanghai Children Medical Center in Shanghai, China. My guidance during the implementation of tobacco cessation systems at Jamaica Hospital led to the Gold Star Recognition in the NYC Tobacco-Free Hospital Campaign Certification from the New York City Department of Health. Currently, I serve as Primary Faculty for the Graduate Programs in Public Health. I teach Program Planning & Evaluation and, my recently developed, Health Education Design course.

I am Haitian-American and was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.  I attribute much of my success to being raised in a richly diverse community and obtaining both undergraduate and graduate degrees from institutions in Jamaica-Queens, NY and New Orleans, LA, two culturally-vibrant US cities.