The School of Public Health (SPH) Alumni Network awarded the Public Health Emerging and Engaging Leaders (PHEEL) Award to seven outstanding recent graduates in April 2025. Each honoree was selected for their excellence in their career progression, service and leadership.
The honorees are Andrew Anderson BS, MPH, PhD ‘19, Renee D. Carter-Perpall, MPH '21, Dane De Silva, PhD '20, Akeem Henry BS '19, Chandria Jones, PhD '14, Leena Malayil, PhD '19, and Lauryn Perpall, MPH '22.
The PHEEL Award recognizes outstanding graduates who have received any degree from SPH within the last 10 years.
PHEEL awardees are also candidates for the SPH Early Career Award to be announced on April 17, 2025, honoring an alum who is distinguished professionally, who reflects SPH’s core values and who has graduated in the last 10 years. This year’s Early Career Award Recipient is Leena Malayil, PhD '19.
We are proud to recognize the 2025 cohort of the PHEEL Award and look forward to their continued contributions as they grow in their careers and reconnect with our community!
Meet the 2025 PHEEL Award Recipients
Andrew Anderson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He studies the role of payment policies in shaping healthcare access and outcomes, particularly for groups facing disproportionate health risks. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Anderson was an assistant professor at Tulane University, a research scientist at the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and a director of quality measurement at the National Quality Forum. Dr. Anderson earned a PhD. in health services research from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied care coordination and health system performance.
Renee Carter-Perpall, DPM, MPH, works as the Specialty Medical Director of Podiatric Medicine at UNITY Healthcare, Inc as well as continuing a private podiatry practice in Bowie, Maryland.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Carter-Perpall has had a significant impact on the field of public health, focusing on addressing health disparities and improving healthcare access for underserved populations. She earned her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) from Kent State University, and served as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Health Service Corps (1982–1984). Dr. Carter-Perpall pursued an Executive Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Maryland (2017–2021), and as a member of the Maryland Public Health Association and the American Public Health Association, she became actively involved in advocating for policies and initiatives aimed at improving public health infrastructure and reducing health inequities. She is a fellow at the American College of Podiatric Medicine (FACPM).
Dane De Silva, Ph.D., is the Director of the Division of Population Health Data with the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Family Health Services in Richmond, VA, where he supervises epidemiologists and evaluators across a variety of non-infectious disease programs, including maternal and child health, chronic disease, injury and violence, and environmental health epidemiology. He and his team provide consultation on all epidemiological and evaluation efforts related to programs in the Office of Family Health Services. Prior to this role, he served as the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist and Family Violence Programs Manager with the Virginia Department of Health.
Dr. De Silva is an experienced population-health researcher rooted in the life course and reproductive justice frameworks, and his research interests include the intersection of social determinants of health with maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. He is passionate about using data in innovative ways to answer research questions that will help inform programs and policies to support the MCH population. He earned his Master of Public Health with a focus in Maternal-Child Health/Perinatal Epidemiology from the University of British Columbia, and his Doctoral degree in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Maryland.
Akeem J. Henry is a dedicated medical student, entrepreneur, and advocate for diversity in healthcare. He holds a degree in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also minored in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Throughout his academic career, Akeem has prioritized mentorship and fostering diversity within the field of medicine. In 2017, he co-founded the Minority Males in Medicine Symposium at UMD, a diversity and networking initiative that continues today through the Charles R. Drew Premed and Pre-health Society.
In 2015, Akeem launched Mission to Medicine, a YouTube channel that provides valuable insights into the medical field. More recently, he expanded his platform to include a podcast that explores essential topics, including the non-traditional paths to professional school. His audience consists of parents, career changers, and aspiring medical professionals who seek guidance in navigating the healthcare industry. Currently, Akeem is a second-year medical student at Meharry Medical College, with the aspiration of becoming a surgeon.
Akeem is also an expert in branding and marketing, particularly for creatives and healthcare professionals seeking to enhance their social media presence. Prior to medical school, he founded and managed the Top Tier Shiners, a distinguished dance group that has performed across the United States and overseas. Additionally, he served as the graphic designer and marketing director for his clothing brand, Riches & Royalty. Today, he serves as the media director and podcast host for Mission to Medicine. His long-term goal is to expand the reach of Mission to Medicine and build a media company dedicated to providing accessible, informative content for those aspiring to careers in healthcare.
Dr. Chandria D. Jones is a Principal Research Scientist in Public Health and Affiliate Staff in the Center on Equity Research at NORC at the University of Chicago. She is a nationally recognized expert in culturally responsive and equitable evaluation, with a career spanning over 20 years in designing and evaluating public health interventions to improve outcomes for historically marginalized communities. Dr. Jones specializes in behavioral health, health equity, health communications and fostering diverse, equitable, and inclusive partnerships in research.
Jones’s work is characterized by her commitment to bridging research with real-world impact. She is the Co-Investigator of The Positive Adolescent Interpersonal Relationships (PAIR) Study, a national longitudinal cohort study exploring factors that strengthen family, friendship, and romantic relationships among diverse youth. She also serves as a key contributor to initiatives with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), focusing on systems-level evaluation and implementation science.
A proud alumna of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, Jones continues to contribute to the field through publications, training development, and mentorship of emerging public health leaders. She is deeply passionate about addressing health disparities and advocating for community-driven solutions.
Dr. Leena Malayil is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health at the University of Maryland. She earned her PhD in Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences from UMD and an MS in Toxicology from the University of Georgia. She also holds an MS in Microbiology and a BS with a triple major in Chemistry, Zoology, and Microbiology from universities in India. As an environmental health scientist, Dr. Malayil is dedicated to exploring how environmental exposures impact the human microbiome and health outcomes, with a particular focus on addressing public health challenges related to water reuse.
She serves as the Co-Director of the Maryland Safe Drinking WATER Study, leading efforts to assess the microbial quality of drinking water in underserved communities across Maryland. Additionally, she is a Co-Principal Investigator of the Global FEWture Alliance, where she spearheads the Nepal FEWture Team’s projects and the UMD Global STEWARDS Undergraduate Program, bridging local and global research efforts in food, energy, water, and public health. Her research employs cutting-edge molecular and sequencing technologies to explore antibiotic resistance and bacterial communities in diverse environments. Her work has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications, contributed to international collaborations, and informed strategies for sustainable water use and food safety.
Additionally, dedicated to advancing diversity in STEM, Dr. Malayil has mentored students from underrepresented communities and directed internship programs designed to inspire the next generation of scientific leaders. She also teaches a global classroom focusing on water, food, and global health, integrating students from international institutions such as Kathmandu University in Nepal and Mbeya University in Tanzania.
Lauryn Perpall is a dynamic public health professional, health communicator, and emerging nurse leader with a passion for advancing health equity and empowering underserved communities. She currently serves as the Operations & Outreach Specialist for The Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice Lab at the University of Maryland, where she leads communications strategy, manages federally funded environmental justice projects, and drives outreach efforts that connect science, policy, and community action.
Lauryn brings over five years of experience in public health and program management, with a background spanning federal research, community health education, and nonprofit leadership. As a former Cancer Research Training Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, she supported scientific research in cancer prevention and environmental epidemiology, contributing to several manuscripts and national health equity initiatives. Her passion for community impact led her to found The Public Health Record, a social impact organization committed to health education, advocacy, and resource distribution in communities of color.
Lauryn holds a Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice and Policy from University of Maryland, College Park, and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with minors in Leadership Studies and Nanoscience from Hampton University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing degree, with plans to earn a Doctor of Public Health in Implementation Science. Her career goal is to bridge the gap between clinical care and public health program implementation to improve chronic disease prevention and outcomes through culturally relevant, community-rooted strategies.
Recognized for her leadership and service, Lauryn is a recipient of the 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst Award and State of Virginia Health Education Award. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the American Public Health Association, and the Boston Congress of Public Health.
Driven, thoughtful, and community-centered, Lauryn is committed to building a future where all people—regardless of zip code or background—have access to quality care, trusted information, and healthier lives.