A career in health policy may encompass many potential types of work and employers. Come hear from Ph.D. holders about their experiences in government, think tanks, academia, advocacy, and more!

Panelist Bios

Dr. Samuel S. Wong | Director, Office of Local and Regional Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Dr. Sam Wong is the director of the Office of Local and Regional Health at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and former director of public health for the City of Framingham. He is also former chair of the MetroWest Prevention & Wellness Partnership, a collaboration of healthcare and community organizations in the Massachusetts MetroWest area dedicated to integrating clinical and community health sectors to prevent and improve health outcomes of residents suffering from chronic diseases. Dr. Wong has received state and regional awards for his work on public health. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, as well as a Master’s degree in Food Science, from the University of Rhode Island.

Dr. Regina Shih | Program Director and Senior Policy Researcher, Social and Behavioral Policy Program, RAND Corporation

Dr. Regina Shih is Director of the RAND Corporation’s Social and Behavioral Policy Program. She is a senior policy researcher with over 15 years of research experience at the intersection of environmental health and behavioral health. Her recent work in this area examines how individuals’ and communities’ cognitive, behavioral, and mental health is influenced by a wide variety of factors, from demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, to chemical exposure and pollution risks following climate change-related weather events. Dr. Shih's work further examines how public health approaches can be leveraged to improve health behaviors and outcomes, such as sleep, substance use, and cognitive aging. She tackles these research questions through a combination of large epidemiological study designs, qualitative data collection, and advanced statistical analyses. Dr. Shih holds a Ph.D. in psychiatric epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Sara Bleich | Professor of Public Health Policy, Harvard School of Public Health

Dr. Sara Bleich is a Professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management. She is also the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and a faculty member of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She served as a White House Fellow from 2015 to 2016 where she worked as a Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative. 

Dr. Bleich’s current research investigates the impact of programs and public policies related to the prevention of obesity and diet-related diseases, particularly among high risk populations. She has been recognized for her contributions to public interest science communication, and her research has been published in top scientific journals as well as featured in national media outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She holds a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University.

Dr. Christine Mitchell | Program Director, Health Instead of Punishment Program, Human Impact Partners

Dr. Christine Mitchell is a Project Director with the Health Instead of Punishment program at Human Impact Partners, a public health organization that seeks to center equity and build collective power with social justice movements. The Health Instead of Punishment program led by Dr. Mitchell uses public health frameworks and combines research, advocacy, narrative change, and people power to create safety, achieve justice, and foster health alongside community partners. Dr. Mitchell holds a Doctor of Science degree from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Master of Divinity from the Harvard Divinity School.