Meet Your 2021-2022 RSPH Alumni Board

Elizabeth Sprouse, MPH (18PH) – President EMPH

Elizabeth is an informatics professional with in-depth experience in program development, strategic planning, procedure and data standardization, project management, communications and technology training. Through her consulting firm, Double Lantern Informatics, Elizabeth is committed to using health care informatics to further the delivery of equitable health care, improve lives, and support our local and global neighbors in living a life founded on well-being and joy. Elizabeth is a graduate of Emory’s Executive MPH program, earning her master’s degree in Applied Public Health Informatics in 2018. In her free time Elizabeth enjoys traveling with her husband and young son, Jim. She feels most content immersed in a book sitting outside in the sun.

Monique Martin, MPH (12PH) - President-Elect BSHE

Monique has more than 10 years of professional experience in private, not for profit, government, and sectors; with a focus on delivering effective public health interventions. Her skills include strategic program planning for behavior change; training and technical assistance to strengthen workforce capabilities, providing training and technical assistance to strengthen workforce capabilities; program development, implementation, and monitoring; qualitative research methods; curriculum development; and workshop facilitation. She earned a MPH in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education and a certificate in the Socio-Contextual Determinants of Health from Rollins in 2012. Currently, she is a Delivery Leadership Senior Consultant with Slalom Consulting supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outside of work, Monique enjoys running with her boyfriend and dog, enjoying the beauty of Piedmont Park, and spending quality time with friends.

Kaytna Thaker, MPH (14PH) – Immediate Past-President EH

Kaytna earned her MPH in Environmental Health in 2014 and works as a Public Health Analyst in CDC’s Center for Global Health, Office of the Associate Director for Policy. In this role she provides policy support for CDC’s COVID-19 International Task Force. She previously worked as a contractor for CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit, where she contributed to a wide variety of projects including preparing written responses to congressional inquiries, gathering, analyzing, and disseminating data from national programs, and tracking antibiotic resistance policy and implementation activities for stakeholders including HHS and the White House. She has also worked as a Program Evaluator and an ORISE Fellow with CDC’s Asthma and Community Health Branch, where she provided technical assistance to National Asthma Control Program state grantees and developed and implemented a performance measurement system. Outside of her professional interests, Kaytna enjoys baking, running, hiking, and volunteering with various groups around Atlanta.

Molly Guy, MSN, MPH (05N 05PH) - Secretary GH

As a Senior Program Officer in the Noncommunicable Disease Program at PATH, Molly is responsible for the management and implementation of programs within PATH’s NCD Portfolio across Kenya, Ghana, Vietnam, Senegal, and Uganda. In this role she provides technical and programmatic oversight of project design, implementation, and evaluation. She also drives business development efforts for the program across public and private sectors. In addition to the work within the NCD Program, Molly leads cross-sectoral collaboration across the members of the Coalition for Access to NCD Medicines and Products, of which PATH is the Secretariat.

Molly earned dual degrees in Global Health and Nursing in 2005 from Emory. Her passion and commitment to global health and access to care has continued to grow over the years through her roles as Head of Impact and Policy for Medtronic Labs, Principal Clinical Safety Specialist in the Medtronic Clinical Operations group, Clinical Affairs Manager at the Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Prevention, and as a Registered Nurse at Mayo Clinic.

Kaleigh Emerson, MPH (10 GH) GH

Kaleigh is passionate about population-level interventions that make it easier for individuals to make healthy choices and lead more enjoyable lives. Currently she works as Project Manager for the Center for Youth Mental Health at Dell Medical School and as Research Associate for the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health. Her work aims to improve mental health services for adolescents and young adults; increase prevention and early intervention for mental health conditions; and integrate physical, behavioral, and social care. Kaleigh earned her MPH in Global Health in 2010. She enjoys swimming in her free time, especially in Austin’s spring-fed pools.

Niles Friedman, MPH (98 PH) HPM

An alumnus of our Health Policy and Management department, Niles specializes in the creation and growth of businesses, divisions, and core functions within organizations. He’s built an adaptable approach to strategically collaborate across sectors and industries through his work with start-up founders, c-suite executives, public-sector administrators, and nonprofit leaders. Across the last ten years Niles has collaborated to build innovation offices and functions, created technology strategic planning programs, and instilled sustainable culture change across the U.S. federal government, State of California, Los Angeles County, and international health ministries.

Allison Goldstein, MPH (11PH)  BSHE

After graduating with a master’s in Behavioral Science and Health Education, Allison worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention where she was a member of the Million Hearts Initiative Science Team in the Applied Research and Evaluation Branch. Upon joining WHO in 2015, Allison served as the Toolkits Officer for the mHealth secretariat of the joint WHO-ITU Initiative Be He@lthy Be Mobile in the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases department. In this position, she coordinated the development of program plans and technical documents to assist countries in implementing mHealth programs for NCDs. In 2018, she joined the WHO Department of Noncommunicable Diseases as the focal point for the Resolve to Save Lives Cardiovascular Health initiative. In this role she provides overarching coordination for the initiative. Outside of work, Allison enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, and eating.

Meaghan founded Orange Sparkle Ball, an innovation and impact consultancy, after earning her MPH in Epidemiology and working at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Through Orange Sparkle Ball, Meaghan works to accelerate initiatives in the private and public sector and work with startups. She has taught at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has been a guest reviewer at Georgia Tech since 2007, a judge for the Global Social Venture Competition and Industrial Design Society of America, a mentor for social entrepreneurs, and is a frequently invited to sit on innovation and entrepreneurial panels.

Julia Krauss, MPH, MBA (17B 17PH) GLEPI

Julia is a Senior Associate at KPMG in strategy consulting, where her work focuses on enhancing access to new pharmaceutical products, particularly cell and gene therapies. While at Emory, she was a dual MBA/MPH with a concentration in Global Epidemiology to develop skills required to manage disease control programs in an efficient and financially sustainable manner in order to make lasting improvements in global health. She volunteers with Sanergy, a social enterprise that aims to reduce the burden of poor sanitation in Nairobi, Kenya’s informal settlements through innovative business and service delivery models. In her spare time, Julia enjoys outdoor activities, such as running, hiking, and biking.

Samantha Lie Tjauw, MPH, MBA (14 PH) GH

Samantha earned her MPH in Global Health in 2014 and now works as a Research Scientist at The Georgia Tech Research Institute where she conducts user-centered, mixed-methods research to provide a rich understanding of consumer health information technology needs to diverse clients, including the Georgia Department of Community Health and the US Department of the Army. She functions as the public health subject matter expert and social science lead in the social-technical approach her team employs for each project. The aim of these projects is to create innovative, user-friendly technologies that allow for enhanced data integrity, data analytics, and enable social programs to engage in evidence-based intervention design. Samantha has been teaching freshman students at Georgia Tech through the Serve-Learn-and Sustain initiative on campus since 2013.

Sarah Maness, PhD, MPH (11PH) BSHE

Sarah is an Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health and Human Performance at the College of Charleston. She received her MPH in Behavior Science and Health Education from Emory and her PhD in Public Health from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining the faculty at the College of Charleston in 2020, Sarah was on faculty at the University of Oklahoma. Her research focus is on social determinants of health and health inequity related to adolescent pregnancy prevention and HPV vaccination. Sarah is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina and enjoys reading and spending time with her rescue dog, Raleigh Wayne.

Karyl Patten, DDS, MPH, JM (08PH 15L) EMPH

Dr. Patten has provided oral health to the underserved for more than twenty years, garnering local, state and national recognition for her programs in school based dental care.. As Dental Director for the nonprofit program Whiteford, Inc., Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Patten has transformed the way we deliver school based dental care. Under her leadership, Whiteford Inc. in partnership with Emory University developed a school-based dental program that provides full-service dentistry to Atlanta. The program trains dental students, dental hygiene students, and dental assisting students for challenging but rewarding careers assisting those with the greatest healthcare needs. Dr. Patten earned her MPH in Prevention Science in 2008 and her Juris Masters in 2015. She holds faculty positions at Emory University School of Medicine, Augusta University School of Dentistry, and advisory board for West Georgia Technical College school of Dental Hygiene. She continues to speak nationally, urging Congress to support oral health for the underserved.

Kier Prince, JD, MPH (18PH 18L) HPM

Kier is an Equal Justice Works fellow sponsored by Eversheds-Sutherland and the Home Depot at the Emory Law Volunteer Clinic for Veterans (VCV). Through her work, Kier is expanding the VCV’s work to provide representation to veterans seeking discharge upgrades, with a priority being given to veterans with PTSD symptomology and Traumatic Brain Injuries.

A dual degree alumna, Kier earned both her MPH (HPM) and JD degrees in 2018 from Emory. During her time at Emory, she was a recipient of the Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) grant and is a two-time recipient of the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division’s Public Interest Internship Program (PIIP) award. She is also a member of the Atlanta Bar’s CLE Board of Trustees and a Fall 2019 Sidebar member. When Kier is not working, she enjoys acting, modeling, and learning new skills such as computer science and data analysis.

Paul Schaper, MPH, MBA, MA (91C 00B 00PH) HPM

Paul holds both a B.A. in business administration and MPH health policy and management from Emory. He also earned a second master's degree in clinical psychology from Georgia State University. Paul currently leads global policy efforts at Merck in Global Pharmaceuticals, which includes a broad range of therapeutic areas from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, neuroscience, reproductive health, and infectious disease, including antibiotics/antifungals, HIV, and viral hepatitis. He represents Merck & Co on the board of the AMR Industry Alliance, a coalition of biotech, diagnostics, generic, and research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations established to work toward sustainable solutions to curb antimicrobial resistance. From May 2013 – May 2021, he represented the Private Sector Constituency on the Board of the Global Fund for HIV, TB, and Malaria. Since May 2019, he has served as the Chair of the Donor Group of constituencies on the Board of the Global Fund.

Lauren Taylor, MPH, MMSc PA-C (11PH 16A) HPM

A two-time Emory alumna, Lauren earned both her MPH in Health Policy and Management and Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant degrees from Emory. She is now a Physician Assistant in sports medicine orthopedic surgery at Grady. She is also the Lead Advanced Practice Provider, supervising a team of 6 Orthopedic APPs. Outside of clinical practice, Lauren assists with research studies, PA precepts, and athletic training students. She also serves as the team healthcare provider for Georgia Tech women's volleyball. In her free time, she enjoys participating in all kinds of athletic activities: running, HIIT, Peloton classes, yoga, volleyball, tennis, swimming, etc. She is heavily involved with the Junior League of Atlanta and have held leadership positions within the organization for the past several years. She also enjoys baking and frequently jokes that she will own a bakery in her next life.