The School of Public Health annually selects a recipient for the Early Career Award from the Public Health Emerging and Engaging Leaders (PHEEL) Award recipients.
The Early Career Award recognizes professional achievement by a Public Health alum who reflects the school’s core values. The Early Career awardee is recognized by the Dean at the annual Dean's Recognition Ceremony and dinner.
*Early Career Awardee must be able to attend the School of Public Health Dean’s Recognition Ceremony on April 17, 2025, at the University of Maryland
Dr. Leena Malayil
PhD'19 (Toxicology & Environmental Health)
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.
Kimberly Stinchcomb
MPH'16 (Environmental Health)
Kimberly Stinchcomb, MPH, is currently the Manager of Community Impact and Assessment at the Prince George’s County Health Department. Her role involves engaging community partners to drive positive change through the Prince George’s County Healthcare Action Coalition. She leads efforts to develop the Community Health Improvement Plan, collaborating with stakeholders to address community health priorities identified in the Community Health Assessment, while ensuring adherence to Accreditation standards.
Ms. Maya A. Walker '13
Family Science, UMD School of Public Health
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSAgov), HHS
Maya Walker is a Public Health Analyst for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the Community Based Outreach workforce division. At HRSA Maya works to improve health outcomes and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative, high-value programs. Maya has been able to support community organizations in administering thousands of Covid-19 vaccinations in underserved communities.
Prior to HRSA, Maya was the Manager of Health and Wellness Programs for the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy where she addressed inequities to improve health outcomes through food access and education. Maya managed the only year-round farmers’ market in Ward 7 of Washington, D.C. With the support of her amazing colleagues, she was able to distribute over 3,000 subsidized produce bags and 20,000 meals during the current covid-19 pandemic.
Maya is also currently assisting Black Nurses Rock and the Be the Match campaign to increase bone marrow donations within Black communities. This has created the opportunity for her to continue on the ground outreach to improve health inequities in underserved communities, her deepest passion. She believes that true success is not measured by individual achievements but how you are able to positively impact others.
Mariano Kanamori, Ph.D. '13
Assistant Professor, Division of Prevention Science and Community Health
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Dr. Kanamori is a Latino epidemiologist who researches social networks and ways to reduce HIV and substance misuse in Latino populations. His research has been implemented in Peru, Africa and the United States. As a PhD student at UMD, he received several awards including a Dean’s Scholar Award, Chair’s Scholar Award and the University of Maryland Distinguished Dissertation Award.
Following graduation in 2013 from UMD, Dr. Kanamori completed a postdoctoral program on Latino HIV and substance misuse at Florida International University. He joined the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in January 2018.
Dr. Kanamori has published how immigration policies and enforcement actions are changing the structures and dynamics of Latino farmworkers’ social networks, and how these changes are influencing increases in women’s alcohol dependence and children’s marijuana use. His research is analyzing the role social networks have on the evolving opioid epidemic among Latino farmworkers. He has developed a novel spatially-explicit social network model, called PrEParados, that merges four social network methods with spatial analysis to address the intertwining epidemics of HIV and substance misuse.
Dr. Kanamori’s advice to current UMD students is “Don't be afraid to ask for mentorship. Some doors may not open but the right ones will. There are many public health professionals who are committed to mentoring the next generation. I have mentors and colleagues from all over the world!”