About Us
Public Health Post informs and inflects the broader conversation on health and social justice. It is based at Boston University School of Public Health.
Every day we feature new articles about the state of the health of the population. We invite policymakers, journalists, academics, and practitioners to share their work in ways that can influence health on a local, national, and global scale. Our editors, working with graduate student Public Health Post Fellows, present health statistics, research summaries, interviews with important health thinkers, and easy-to-understand data graphics to start new conversations about health and social justice. We join and drive the national dialogue on public health.
Want to be a PHP guest author? Send your pitch to Mallory Bersi, Managing Editor, at mbersi@bu.edu.
Want to be a Public Health Post Fellow? Learn more on the Fellowship page.
Want to know more? Email Mallory Bersi, Managing Editor, at mbersi@bu.edu.
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Lia Musumeci
Writing Fellow
Lia Musumeci is an MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health, studying community assessment, program design, implementation and evaluation with a focus on substance use and mental health. She has worked in a non-profit community mental health clinic and behavioral health research. She is passionate about drawing on her past experiences to explore mental health and substance use-related diversion programs, as well as to enhance interventions for smoking cessation. In her free time, she enjoys swimming and exploring different types of tea.
Heather Sherr
Writing Fellow
Heather Sherr is an MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health, studying epidemiology and biostatistics with a concentration in chronic and non-communicable diseases. Her public health interests are informed by her background in developmental biology, genetics, and biological anthropology. In her free time, Heather enjoys listening to live music, visiting science museums, and playing video games.
Jude Sleiman
Writing Fellow
Jude Sleiman is an MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health, studying epidemiology, biostatistics, and global health programs. Informed by her extensive travel and experiences living in four diverse countries, Jude is dedicated to understanding and respecting how health is perceived and addressed across different cultures. She is passionate about leveraging data-informed health policy to enhance health outcomes worldwide. Jude has contributed to several public health projects including T.E.A.M. Malawi, demonstrating her commitment to practical, impactful health solutions. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new destinations, delving into the latest romance and mystery books, and binging her favorite TV shows.
Abby Varker
Multimedia Fellow
Abby Varker is an MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health, studying health policy and law, and sex, sexuality, and gender. Her passions include establishing policy to promote sexual and reproductive health and low-cost health care. Her background is in psychology, ethics, and the natural sciences, which informs her public health practice. She believes that all people deserve access to health care and public health knowledge through effective, clear communication with the general public. Outside of her public health work, Abby is in an a cappella group and has been singing since she was 4 years old.
Dani Weissert
Writing Fellow
Dani Weissert is an MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health, focusing on global health and maternal and child health. She cares deeply about sexual and reproductive health justice, rural health, the ethics of program delivery, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) issues. In her free time, she enjoys reading, rock climbing, and being outdoors.
Mallory Bersi
Managing Editor
mbersi@bu.edu
Mallory Bersi joined Public Health Post after several years of working as a writer in public health communications. She received her MPH from Boston University School of Public Health with a focus in health communication and promotion and maternal and child health. When she is not getting lost in a good book or (overly) invested in TV characters, she enjoys experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Jennifer Beard
Associate Editor
jenbeard@bu.edu
Jennifer Beard is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Global Health at Boston University School of Public Health. She was a co-principal investigator for the multi-study Ghana Operations Research for Key Populations project. The nine qualitative studies focused on the HIV prevention and other needs of young female sex workers and their intimate partners, prisoners, men who have sex with men, post-secondary female students, women who work in bars, people who inject drugs, and people living with HIV at risk of dropping out of antiretroviral therapy.
Michael Stein
Executive Editor
mdstein@bu.edu
Michael Stein is the chair of the Department of Health Law, Policy & Management at Boston University School of Public Health, executive editor of Public Health Post, and author most recently of the books, Me vs Us: A Health Divided, and Accidental Kindness: A Doctor’s Notes on Empathy. He and Sandro Galea have a new book, The Turning Point: Reflections on a Pandemic, coming out in March 2024. He is a physician and health services researcher who is an international authority on the intersection of primary care, mental health, and substance use disorders.