Unlocking Public Health - Team

Carlos Santos-Burgoa is a Professor of Global Health and Environmental and Occupational Health and Director of Global Health Policy at GWU. He studies public health functions, and their role in equity, including the organizational development of health authorities and regulatory agencies. His interest is in toxic chemicals risk analysis, management and control of their population and climate impacts, and public health approaches to crises in epidemics and disasters in developing economies.

Maria Jose Talayero Schettino, MD, DrPH is an environmental health researcher specializing in chemical exposure, pollution, and health policy. She is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, where she works on strengthening public health regulation, with a focus on chemical governance and pollution control. Her work supports policy development to improve environmental health protections, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Natalia Cossío Charvel is a second-year undergraduate Public Health major at The George Washington University. She is a Research Assistant to Dr. Carlos Santos-Burgoa at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, contributing to research on comparative public health systems. As Co-President of Foggy Bottom Plan B, a student-led initiative expanding access to contraception, she advocates for reproductive health equity. Her interests lie in health education and prevention, shaped by her studies in Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion.

Marguerite Peterseim is a second-year Master of Public Health candidate at the George Washington University, focusing on Global Health Policy. As the Government Affairs & Policy Coordinator at the National Rural Health Association, she advocates for improved health outcomes in rural America through policy and strategic initiatives. Additionally, Marguerite serves as a Program Assistant with the Clemson Extension Rural Health and Nutrition team, where she helps expand diabetes self-management and prevention efforts. With a focus on optimizing health policies and regulations, Marguerite aspires to improve the value of investments and resources in underserved populations, ensuring equitable access to care and resources.

Alvaro Rivera, MD, MPH, MBA, is a physician with over a decade of experience in healthcare innovation, public health, and research across Latin America, the Middle East, and the U.S. He has led research in Central America and Mexico on environmental and modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, while also evaluating community-based interventions. Currently pursuing a DrPH at George Washington University, his work now integrates public health policy with environmental risk mitigation, focusing on regulatory approaches to reduce exposure to hazards and protect vulnerable populations.

Alcy Christie is a second-year Master of Public Health candidate at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, concentrating in Global Health Policy. Her work focuses on health system strengthening, governance, and the community health workforce. She currently serves as the Global Advocacy Fellow at Living Goods, an organization that supports community health workers and national governments in strengthening and scaling digitally enabled community health systems in Kenya, Uganda, and Burkina Faso. In this role, she leads policy research and supports ministerial and multilateral engagement to mobilize investments in community health.

Morgan Crotta is a second-year Master of Public Health candidate at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, concentrating in Global Environmental Health and Policy. With a background in chemistry, she conducts research at the intersection of climate change, chemical exposures, and infectious disease. Her current work examines how global climate change is intensifying chemical exposure risks in vulnerable populations, with the goal of informing both future research and the development of interdisciplinary, equitable health policies. Morgan is especially passionate about leveraging scientific evidence to advance actionable environmental health solutions on a global scale.