2024-2026 Cohort
Yosef Meadows
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Yosef is from Milwaukee, WI. He received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and received his Master of Public Health with a concentration in Public Health Policy from UW-Milwaukee’s Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health. He is the first student to graduate from the Accelerated Master’s program at Zilber College in the Public Health Policy track. Yosef interned with the City of Wauwatosa Health Department during his field experience, where he researched and designed policy for the licensing and regulation of short-term rentals. For his capstone, he contributed to the formation of the City of Wauwatosa’s comprehensive plan with an in-depth policy analysis of the equity and health implications of the plan. Yosef is interested in continuing to learn about how to craft and implement policy to improve health equity for large populations. In his spare time, Yosef enjoys cooking, long bicycle rides, and exploring the local public parks.
Kayla Rinderknecht
Clean Wisconsin
Kayla is from Waukee, IA. She received her B.S. in Community Health Education with a minor in Business Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and received her Master of Public Health Degree with a concentration in Policy from the University of Iowa. During her graduate career, she had the opportunity to improve her policy analysis skills as a graduate research assistant for the Rural Policy Research Institute, where she wrote comment letters to federal agencies in response to proposed rules impacting rural health. She also gained community engagement and health equity experience while working with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield as a community health research intern. During her applied practice experience with the Iowa Public Health Association, she wrote policy briefs and engaged in public health advocacy. Kayla is passionate about improving population health through systemic change and upstream initiatives. She aims to become a successful health equity advocate by addressing the social determinants of health and using evidence-based policy. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, hiking, reading, and watching Iowa Hawkeye sports.
Katherine Kerwin
Eau Claire City-County Health Department
Katherine is from Romeoville, Illinois. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of South Carolina. After completing her honors college senior thesis on the impacts of COVID-19 on social amenities in assisted living facilities, Katherine decided to pursue a Master of Public Health from Emory University with a concentration in epidemiology. Throughout her education, Katherine developed a deep interest for addressing health disparities. She completed a certificate in social determinants of health during her MPH, and worked in the Healthy Mind, Healthy Heart lab at the Emory School of Medicine. There, she served as an assistant study coordinator for multiple studies aimed at preventing cognitive decline among older adults. Katherine has a deep desire to promote health equity among marginalized and underserved communities, particularly those experiencing homelessness. During her free time, Katherine likes reading and going on walks with her cat, Louie.
Brianna DeNamur
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Chronic Disease Prevention Program
Brianna grew up in Northern Wisconsin. They received their Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition & Dietetics with a certificate in Global Health from UW-Madison which sparked their interest in improving food systems. After getting her undergraduate degree, Brianna did a year as an AmeriCorps Service Member at Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers in Milwaukee, WI. As an AmeriCorps member, Brianna conducted community engagement for health promotion for residents of Milwaukee’s Southside community. She led community education classes, coordinated walking clubs, and worked with a group of community leaders training to promote healthy lifestyles in their community. Brianna then received their MPH in Public Health Policy and Administration at UW-Milwaukee’s Zilber School of Public Health. Her coursework and research focused on improving health equity at the systems level, policymaking, program planning, and community assessment, specifically aimed at improving access to nutritious food. Their passions lie in ensuring healthy food for all, and she is excited to be working toward that in her home state of Wisconsin. In her spare time, Brianna enjoys nature walks, deep diving into their favorite music, cooking with loved ones, and working toward her black belt in martial arts.
Joanna Hagan
Public Health Madison & Dane County, Maternal Child Health
Joanna is from Madison, WI. She received a Bachelor’s of Individualized Studies in Life Sciences, Psychology, and Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. She was the first student at the U of M to ever create and graduate with that degree. Upon graduation, Joanna served with the HealthCorps branch of AmeriCorps at a free clinic in Janesville, WI. Post-AmeriCorps, she attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison with a Master of Public Health degree. Joanna also received a certificate in Prevention and Intervention Science and was a member of the Interprofessional Practice and Education Path of Distinction. During her graduate studies, Joanna was a project assistant with the UW-Madison Prevention Research Center, strengthening her skills in grant writing, community engagement, and strategic planning. Joanna completed her MPH practicum with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Department of Maternal and Child Health wherein she helped to strengthen emergency preparedness and response efforts for Wisconsin’s MCH populations. Joanna is passionate about the use of an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral lens to broaden public health reach, effectiveness, and equity. Although her main area of focus is maternal and child health, she is also passionate about mitigating the physiological effects of environmental health threats. In her free time, Joanna likes to bake, read, hike, and get out on the water.
Berrit Goodman
City of Milwaukee Health Department & Milwaukee Health Care Partnership
Berrit earned a Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked as an occupational therapist since 2018, providing direct patient care across a variety of clinical settings in Washington, Idaho, and Wisconsin. Berrit’s professional interests include advancing health equity and improving healthcare access. She is excited to join the public health workforce in Wisconsin to further explore these interests in the Milwaukee community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking, crafting, and exploring the Milwaukee area.
2025-2027 Cohort
Emily Oetzman
Wood County Health Department
Emily Oetzman is a born and raised Wisconsinite from Lodi. She earned her Bachelor’s of Individualized Studies in Sociology, Public Health, and Population Studies with a minor in Leadership from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and her Master of Public Health concentrated in Leadership in Practice from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Emily got her start in public health in her youth, when she started a chapter of FACT— Wisconsin’s peer-to-peer tobacco and nicotine education and prevention program— at her high school. Emily has experience with multiple health departments across Wisconsin, in substance use prevention, environmental health, and program creation. Emily’s public health interests lie in furthering equity centered policy and practices, as well as using social marketing as a tool to further public health programs and ideas. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading, concerts, photography, and volunteering with Camp Kesem.
Huda Ahmed
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Huda Ahmed’s journey in public health began in Sudan, where she received her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Khartoum. She later received a second bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and in May 2025 received her MPH from the Medical College of Wisconsin, marking a milestone in her aspirations in working in public health. During her MPH field placement, Huda worked with the City of De Pere Health Department, contributing to their Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach. Huda worked with the public health department to lay the foundation for this initiative by educating local departments about this collaborative approach and presenting it to the Board of Health. Continuing this work, Huda’s capstone project focused on health equity and the integration of Health in All Policies approach. Outside of Huda’s professional pursuits, she is a mother of four, enjoys cooking, and walking and biking outdoors with her family.
Claire Bess
Rock County Public Health & Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Tobacco Prevention & Treatment Program
Claire is originally from Springfield, Illinois. She earned a B.A. from Augustana College, double majoring in Geography and Sociology & Anthropology, with minors in Public Health and Geographic Information Systems and Technology. Her undergraduate capstone project explored food security among refugee populations in the Quad Cities area. Claire completed her Master of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, concentrating in Health Policy and Management. During her graduate studies, she worked as a student research assistant with the Pitt Health Policy Institute Medicaid Research Center. She also completed her practicum internship with the UPMC Health Plan Center for Social Impact, where, among other projects, she contributed to the development of the City of McKeesport, PA Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plan as part of the project support team. Claire is interested in food assistance programs and policy and is passionate about improving policy for more equitable and efficacious implementation.
Kelly Gill
Wisconsin Department of Children & Families & Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs
Kelly grew up in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kelly worked as a second grade teacher, where she loved building relationships with her students and making learning fun. Through this experience, she was inspired to learn more about how she could improve the health and well-being of children and their families. She received her MPH in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. During her graduate career, she completed an internship with Minnesota’s Department of Health where she wrote a policy brief advocating for legislation to ensure respectful maternity care in Minnesota. She also worked as an intern with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services supporting their Title V Needs Assessment by performing qualitative data analyses. In her free time, Kelly loves to enjoy Madison’s many lakes and parks, try new coffee shops, read lots of books, and go thrift shopping.
Brooke Ramusack
Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Immunization Program & HIV Care Services Program
Brooke Ramusack received her B.S. is Community Health from Indiana University -Bloomington before attending the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee for her MPH with a concentration in Community Behavioral Health Promotion. While in graduate school, Brooke worked for the State of Wisconsin Department of Health in the Bureau of Environmental Health. There, she tracked occupational diseases and worked directly with Wisconsin workers to understand their lived experiences and identify novel work-related hazards. Additionally, she played a role in developing lead-testing standards for pregnant women in the state. This work gave her an interest in lead exposure in the state which inspired her Capstone – an enhanced property inspection policy toolkit for local health departments – which she worked on in collaboration with WI DHS entities. Brooke is interested in the impact of housing, built environment, and neighborhood safety on population health outcomes and the long term impact of historical policy on equity and community wellbeing. In her freetime, Brooke likes to hike, bike, bake, travel, and do crosswords!
Lori Gerstenfeld
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Lori received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and Global Health Studies from Northwestern University. During her undergraduate years, Lori gained experience at EPA Region 8, the City of Evanston, and Northwestern’s Leadership Development and Community Engagement office, where she developed an interest in working with communities to address environmental health issues. She decided to pursue a Master of Public Health at Northwestern University with a focus on environmental health. As part of her MPH, Lori completed her applied practice experience and cumulative experience at Mobile Care Chicago, a nonprofit providing asthma and dental care to low-income children through mobile medical clinics. In this role, she developed educational materials and analyzed data for research on the impact of short-term changes in air quality on lung function in children with asthma. Lori is passionate about addressing environmental justice concerns, particularly disparities in air and water quality and the impacts of climate change. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, running, and camping.