Success Spotlight

Jules Desroches (Spring 2024) is a population health strategist amplifying collaborative approaches to wellbeing and health equity with communities and health organizations. He is invested in data and health information technology to the extent that data is a tool to support health equity outcomes. He utilizes an interdisciplinary lens from his Humanities background to collaborate and create value with aligned stakeholders. He has abiding interests at the intersections of mental wellness and sociopolitical determinants of health. These include but are not limited to sustaining and amplifying person-centered models of reparative, regenerative, and culturally responsive approaches to well-being. A growing practitioner of healing-centered engagement that comes from the idea that people are not harmed in a vacuum, and well-being comes from participating in transforming the root causes of the harm within institutions. 

Dainelle Clark (Spring 2024) has experience in quality, compliance, and regulatory affairs in both the private and government sectors. In 2018, she joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a biologist, where she conducted compliance and quality assessments and surveillance for medical devices. Currently, Dainelle serves as a lead project manager for regulated drugs in the Office of Policy. She collaborates closely with project management and multi-disciplinary teams to develop policies and standards. Additionally, she is a member of the leadership team and contributes to the development and implementation of office policies and procedures, process improvements, and strategic planning initiatives. Dainelle holds a Doctor of Public Health, a Master of Science in biomedical science and regulatory compliance, and a Bachelor of Arts in biology with a minor in chemistry. She is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and earned a Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) and Certified Associate in Health Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS). 

A grassroots public health leader, Chidubem Egboluche (Spring 2024) brings a strong background in partnering with state health departments and community-based organizations on a range of public health initiatives. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health degree, Chidubem is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Urban Health Disparity Research and Innovation. In this role, he leads stakeholder engagement efforts through a community-based participatory research approach and oversees data collection, management, analysis, and interpretation, all while ensuring HIPAA compliance.

With prior experience supporting public health information technology initiatives, he has contributed to projects focused on interoperability, data standardization, operational data hub (ODH) development, and improving EHR usability for home and community-based services. He has also played a key role in developing the curriculum for the Public Health Informatics Technology (PHIT) project.

Chidubem is experienced in high-level collaboration with federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations, international partners, and private voluntary organizations, consistently bringing a public health lens to technology and innovation.

Julie Brooks (Spring 2024) works in global health as a Program Assistant at the U.S. Agency for International Development. She has 15 years of experience in healthcare administration and holds a Registered Health Information Administrator certification through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). 

Julie is a graduate of Coppin State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management, and is currently a senior at Howard University Graduate School in the MPH program. Julie is also a newly elected Executive Board member for MdHIMA as Director for 2024-2026. 

Julie’s passion is community health and introducing public health and global health disciplines to youth in marginalized communities. Her involvement in the community extended to running for political office in Charles County in 2022 to represent those underserved communities, and she hosted the community’s first National Night Out event in August 2022. 

When Julie has time to spare, she plans her wedding for her amazing fiancé and enjoys spending as much time with her incredible (3) young adult sons and her grand pup, Azula. Julie also loves to cook, take road trips, and enjoys family gatherings. 

Faith Mitchell (Fall 2023) has spent the last 10 years of her educational and professional career becoming an expert in program implementation and development, community health education, and data analysis. As a historically black college graduate, she has dedicated her practice to focusing on creating positive health outcomes for the Black community. Her journey started as a student health educator for an HIV/AIDS and substance abuse program. Since then, she has implemented and enhanced several programs and initiatives, including HIV prevention medication clinics, health awareness text messaging, and sexual health social media campaigns. 

Faith received her Bachelor of Science in Community Health and her Master of Public Health from Howard University. Currently, she works as the Clinical Quality Improvement Specialist for DC Health’s HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration (HAHSTA) and serves as an adjunct professor at Trinity Washington University. She continues to educate herself to remain knowledgeable about the health concerns of the community she serves and identify ways to work with them to eliminate those issues. 

More than anything, Faith has enjoyed her time as a health educator and HIV tester. When she can educate or change the outlook of a patient, she feels like she is most fulfilled. As she continues to become a leader in the HIV prevention field, she hopes to always have a deep connection to the community that she serves and create policies, programs, and initiatives that reflect the community’s wants and needs.

Meghan Richards (Fall 2023) has spent her professional life devoted to public service. She started her career as a Healthy Start Case Worker in Harlem, New York, working with mothers and babies up to age two. While she enjoyed the role, she pivoted to a career with the Department of Justice. She spent five years honing her program management, customer service, and analysis skills. Currently, she is an Associate at The Pew Charitable Trust.   

Meghan is very interested in the social determinants of health and finding ways to use technology to improve the health of all Americans. The American healthcare system is unnecessarily difficult to navigate. 

Meghan received her education at the City University of New York: Brooklyn College with a master’s and bachelor’s degree in sociology. 

Dr. Rita K. Mallia (Fall 2023) is a Health Care Consultant and Optometry Subject Matter Expert for the Defense Health Agency at the Vision Center of Excellence at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  Her main focus areas include combat vision care research, care coordination of DoD and VA programs, performance metrics, vision health data, and healthcare policies concerning ocular disease and injury prevention. She obtained her Doctor of Optometry, graduating with Honors, from the State University of New York College of Optometry. 

She then completed Residency training in Ocular Disease and Low Vision at the VA Medical Center, West Haven, CT.  Before coming to the Defense Health Agency, Dr. Mallia was an Optometrist at multiple Department of Defense clinics, including Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, and Patterson Army Health Clinic, where she was Chief of Optometry.  After several years of clinical practice, providing eye care to Military Service members, Veterans, and their families, Dr. Mallia obtained a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore.  This enabled her to transition seamlessly into her current role while allowing her to broaden her expertise beyond vision care.

While her primary practice currently involves vision care policy, care coordination, and research, she maintains an active clinical practice and regularly pursues additional training in areas such as artificial intelligence, healthcare data models, telehealth, and healthcare data literacy. 

Minnie Saadiq (Fall 2023) is currently contracted as a Medical Biller AR Specialist, bringing over 20 years of experience in Revenue Cycle Management from her work at a multi-specialty clinic serving diverse patient communities. Her expertise spans charge master management, data entry, workflow optimization, charge and payment posting, and comprehensive medical documentation review. Minnie holds certifications as an Electronic Health Record Specialist (CEHRS) and a Certified Revenue Cycle Specialist (CRCS). She is eager to transition into a Health IT role where she can leverage her credentials and extensive experience to support innovative healthcare solutions and improve service delivery.

Brigitte K. Smith, PhD, RHIA, CPHI, CPHIMS, MHAI, MBA, (Fall 2022) is an experienced healthcare administrator and health administration informatics professional with deep knowledge of healthcare processes, an expert in Medical Coding in any healthcare setting. She has profound knowledge of coding tools and applications like MedDRA, WHO Drug, Costart, 3M, 3 M360, Cerner, EPIC, and others. She holds two master's degrees, one she received from the Higher School of Economic and Commercial Sciences of Cameroon, part of the Government University of Douala, Cameroon, in business administration, and a second from the University of Maryland Global Campus, in Health Administration Informatics.

She recently completed a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Howard University (Washington, D.C.) in May 2025. Her Clinical & Research Interests are Health Services Research, with the primary goal of the implementation of strategies in health care to reduce health disparities. She is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), a Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI), and a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems.

Brigitte was born in Bangoua, Cameroon. She spent most of her life in Douala, where she received her MBA and worked in a petroleum company as a Laboratory manager, then as a Commercial Manager before migrating to the USA. She is a passionate healthcare advocate who spends her spare time volunteering with the Red Cross of America in the state of Maryland. Her hobbies include gymnastics, dancing, and reading etc.

Patrick Owen Lockhart (Spring 2024) brings over a decade of IT experience across various industries. He began his career as a programmer/analyst at an insurance company, where he developed workflow and collaboration applications using the IBM Lotus Notes Domino platform. His expertise quickly grew, leading him to roles with several Fortune 100 companies, integrating IT systems at PricewaterhouseCoopers. His most notable project was with the Department of Defense at the Pentagon, where he worked on modernizing the intranet for all directorates of the U.S. Navy. 

Patrick is a dedicated lifelong learner. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Connecticut and has earned certificates in Accounting and Health Information Management from Northern Virginia Community College. He pursued a master’s in Biomedical Data Science/Health Informatics at Meharry Medical College and George Mason University. He has applied to Howard University’s fully-funded PhD program in Computer Science to advance his studies in health information and technology systems. 

 Patrick has achieved numerous IT certifications from Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, COMPTIA, and ServiceNow throughout his career. In 2024, with support from the PHIT4DC program, he plans to earn the CAHIMS certification from HIMSS. 

Originally from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Patrick attributes his passion for learning to his upbringing. The son of educators from Trinidad and Saint Vincent, he grew up surrounded by bookshelves that sparked his intellectual curiosity. He now shares this love of learning with his two high school-aged sons, who grew up in a home filled with hallway bookshelves. 

Rashidat Elesho (Fall 2024) is a dedicated and highly trained pharmacist who earned her degree from the prestigious University of Lagos, Nigeria. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Howard University, where her focus is on Health Economics and Outcomes Research. 

As a passionate advocate for advancing healthcare, Rashidat aims to contribute meaningful research that impacts health policies and improves patient outcomes. 

In addition to her academic pursuits, Rashidat is a Graduate Student Ambassador at Howard University, where she plays a crucial role in guiding and supporting her fellow students. Her commitment to helping others is evident not only in her professional life but also in her endeavors. 

Outside of academia, Rashidat cherishes spending quality time with her family. Balancing a fulfilling career with her personal life, she finds joy in nurturing relationships and pursuing her passion for healthcare. 

Tenesha Kelly (Fall 2024) is a dedicated and results-driven health informatics professional with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Informatics and Information Management, alongside an active CAHIMS certification through the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). She is currently advancing her expertise by pursuing a Master of Science in Health Care Informatics, reinforcing her commitment to leveraging healthcare technology and information management to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes.

Her experience includes roles with the USVI Governor’s Office of Health Information Technology and Zane Networks, where she supported strategic health IT initiatives, contributed to health information exchange (HIE) development, and collaborated with federal, territorial, and community stakeholders on system implementation and healthcare data modernization projects. She also supported the coordination of the 2024 USVI Digital Health Summit.

Tenesha completed the University of the District of Columbia/Howard University PHIT4DC Career-Focused Training Program, earning credentials in both the Experiential Learning and Revenue Cycle Management program, along with the Virtual Applied Data Science Training Institute (VADSTI) program. These experiences expanded her operational knowledge in healthcare financial workflows, clinical informatics, health data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and the practical application of data to support organizational decision-making and health IT solutions.

With hands-on experience in both inpatient and outpatient clinical workflows and multiple EHR systems(Epic, eCW, Meditech, SIS), Tenesha offers valuable insights into EHR optimization, implementation, and technical support. Her professional interests include HIE, EHR optimization, health IT policy and compliance, and population health management. A passionate advocate for health equity and digital health accessibility, she is dedicated to leveraging data and technology to modernize healthcare systems, reduce disparities, and improve outcomes for underserved communities.