April Joy Damian

Dr. April Joy Damian's work experience includes positions at various prestigious institutions such as the Weitzman Institute, where they served as Vice President/Director and Associate Director. In these roles, they managed a large team and spearheaded strategic planning efforts focused on promoting research, training, and innovation in health equity. Dr. Damian also developed collaborative relationships with funders, agencies, and healthcare systems to expand research portfolios and technical assistance offerings.

At the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Dr. Damian was an Appointed Member of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, contributing to the advancement of effective and equitable systems that promote well-being for children and youth.

In their role as Senior Scholar at AcademyHealth, Dr. Damian deepens and enhances the organization's strategy on health systems improvement, resilience, and capacity, with a particular focus on equity. April Joy serves as a subject matter expert in health systems research and community engagement.

Dr. Damian also holds positions at UConn Health as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, and at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as an Associate Faculty member. April Joy is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Wesleyan University.

Previous experiences include serving as the Director of Quality Innovation at the National Quality Forum, where Dr. Damian secured funding and led efforts to integrate social determinants of health into healthcare policy and practice. April Joy was also a Principal Investigator at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, leading a team in conducting a mixed methods evaluation of trauma-informed care training.

Lastly, as a Research Associate at the Behavioral Health Leadership Institute, Dr. Damian collaborated on harm reduction education programming and advised on evaluation and communications strategies. April Joy also analyzed qualitative and quantitative data for buprenorphine treatment programs in Baltimore.

Overall, Dr. Damian's work experience reflects their expertise in health equity, systems improvement, and research and evaluation methods.

April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP completed their education at prestigious institutions. April Joy obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mental Health, Health Finance and Management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 2014 to 2017. Additionally, they pursued Social Epidemiology and Population Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2015. April Joy also holds a Masters in Medical Sciences (MSc) from Harvard Medical School, which they earned from 2009 to 2012. April completed their undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where they received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Ethnic Studies in 2006. April Joy has additional certifications including "Honored Listee" from Marquis Who's Who and the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification from the Project Management Institute. April Joy also obtained a certification in Health Finance and Management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.