Georgia Health Initiative
Joann Yoon Kang is an experienced professional in strategic communications and public health policy. Currently serving as the Vice President of Strategic Communications at Georgia Health Initiative since February 2024, Joann has a diverse background with previous leadership roles at The Rippel Foundation as Program Director and Associate Director, and as Director of Medicaid Initiatives at Community Catalyst. Joann's tenure at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included serving as Team Lead for Health Systems and Data Visualization and as Policy Lead in the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. With a foundation in law as a J.D. from Emory University School of Law and a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Joann has also held positions in legal services and policy advocacy for children’s health.
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Georgia Health Initiative
WHO WE ARE Georgia Health Initiative is an independent non-profit organization working towards a Georgia in which all people have the opportunity to attain their fullest potential for health. WHAT WE DO As a respected organization with a 20+-year history of community partnerships, we have several tools we use to improve the health of Georgians, including grantmaking, advocacy, convening, elevating voices, and telling stories. We work to change systems and advance bold ideas to improve the health of Georgians across the state. We create opportunities for organizations and communities to collaborate and discover new ways to advance equity, and we join forces with them to co-create solutions. HOW WE DO IT * Relationships are at the heart of our work. We are present and collaborative, inviting the input and insights of our partners to constantly review and improve our work. * We create environments that enable and encourage diverse groups of people to work together over time so that the best ideas and approaches can emerge. * We build bridges and create coalitions across sectors, communities, and regions. * We partner with nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, the philanthropic sector, policymakers, and the business community to identify and advance common strategies for achieving equitable health outcomes. * We serve as an intermediary and take a systems approach to solving complex social challenges. * We use our voice, our influence, and our platform to amplify and elevate the people and organizations doing health equity work in our state. * We assemble and share knowledge. We support and augment the work of our partners as they push toward the common goal of health equity OUR MISSION To inspire and promote collective action that advances health equity for all Georgians.