Dalio Center for Health Justice

Julia Iyasere, MD, MBA

Senior Vice President, Health Justice and Equity at NewYork-Presbyterian; Executive Director, Dalio Center for Health Justice

Julia Iyasere, MD, MBA is Senior Vice President of Health Justice and Equity at NewYork-Presbyterian and Executive Director of the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she leads the Center’s efforts to address longstanding health disparities due to race, socio-economic differences, limited access to care, and other complex factors that impact the wellbeing of our communities disproportionately. Established in 2020, the Center for Health Justice works collaboratively with representatives from NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons to be a leader in the understanding and improving of health equity, and to drive action that results in measurable improvements in health outcomes for all. Dr. Iyasere brings more than a decade of experience in medicine to her role. She was previously the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Service Lines and the Co-Director of the Care Team Office. She was also Director of the Leadership Education and Development for Physicians (LEAD) Academy, Associate Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education at NYPH, and the Associate Program Director of the Columbia Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. An Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Dr. Iyasere continues to see patients as an internist in the Section for Hospital Medicine.

Awards
2023 Empire Whole Health Heroes Award
Crain’s Notable 2023 Leaders in Healthcare
Modern Healthcare 2022 Top Diversity Leaders in Healthcare

Presentations and Interviews
Black History Month 2022: Keynote Address: Dr. Julia Iyasere
She Opened the Door & Columbia at Home | Health and Justice: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic
Breaking Barriers to Equity: A conversation with Dr. Julia Iyasere - PX Journal
Diversity, Inclusion and Health Justice: An Interview with Julia E. Iyasere, M.D., Dalio Center for Health Justice, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Emme Deland, MBA

Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer
Senior Advisor, the Dalio Center for Health Justice

Emme Deland, MBA, is Senior Vice President of Strategy and Senior Advisor to the Dalio Center for Health Justice at NewYork-Presbyterian. She assumed this position in the fall of 2020. Emme is the strategic advisor to the Center’s efforts to address longstanding health disparities due to race, socio-economic differences, limited access to care, and other complex factors that impact the wellbeing of our communities disproportionately. Prior, Emme was the Chief Strategy Officer responsible for developing clinical and corporate strategies for the enterprise, and for identifying, disseminating, and commercializing new innovation. She also served on the board of the NewYork-Presbyterian Health Policy Center. Ms. Deland joined NewYork-Presbyterian in 2000. Previously, she worked at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Prior to joining the health care field, she was an international banker at Chemical Bank. Ms. Deland graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies and obtained her Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. She is a Director of the Kornfeld and Zeitz Foundations, a board member of The American Memorial Hospital in Rheims, France, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Brooklyn Botanical Garden, The Park Avenue Armory, and Clear Scientific.

Amelia Shapiro, MBA

Vice President, Dalio Center for Health Justice

Amelia Shapiro, MBA, is the Vice President of Community and Clinical Strategy and Program Development for the NewYork-Presbyterian Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic planning, development, and implementation of new and expanded clinical and community programs focused on the elimination of health disparities. Amelia joined NewYork-Presbyterian in 2016 as a Director in the Strategy Office, and previously served as the Vice President for Health Economics and Finance at the Greater New York Hospital Association and the Deputy Director of the Interboro RHIO at Elmhurst Hospital. Amelia earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia College at Columbia University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Baruch/Mt. Sinai Program in Health Care Administration.

Whitney C. Harris, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPNP-PC

Manager of Clinical and Community Strategy

Whitney C. Harris, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPNP-PC, is the Manager of Community and Clinical Strategy for the NewYork-Presbyterian Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she is responsible for the center’s strategic planning, development, and implementation of new and expanded clinical and community programs focused on the promotion of health equity and the elimination of health disparities. Whitney joined NYP in 2016 as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Morgan Stanley’s Children’s Hospital (MSCH). In 2018, she then took on the role of Nurse Practitioner Program Director at MSCH. Whitney earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hampton University, and then obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California Los Angeles as a dually certified Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Molly Lawson, MAS, RN

Sickle Cell Program Manager, Dalio Center for Health Justice

Molly Lawson, MAS, RN, is the Sickle Cell Program Manager for the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she is responsible for managing the enterprise-wide Sickle Cell Program, providing system support and clinical improvements and standardization across all NYP campuses. Prior to joining the Dalio team, Molly was the Cellular Therapy Program Manager at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from New York University and her Master of Applied Science in Global Health Planning and Management from Johns Hopkins University.

Jacqueline Tran, MSPH

Project Manager, Dalio Center for Health Justice

Jackie Tran, MSPH, is a Project Manager for the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she is responsible for end-to-end project management, process improvement, and project implementation. Prior to this role, Jackie joined NYP in 2018 as a Community Benefit Fellow on the Community Affairs team before transitioning over as a Government Affairs Analyst in 2019. She is the Professional Development Chair of NYP’s Emerging Leadership Council. Jackie graduated from Pomona College with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Analysis. She obtained her Masters of Science in Public Health, with a concentration in Sexual and Reproductive Health, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Alana Eiland, MPH

Project Manager, Dalio Center for Health Justice

Alana Eiland, MPH, is a Project Manager for the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role she is responsible for end-to-end project management, process improvement, and project implementation. Prior to joining the team, Alana was a Fulbright Scholar at Imperial College London, where she completed her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Services and Systems. She received her Bachelor of Arts in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health from Yale University.

Alia Koch, DDS, MD

Director, NYP LEAD Academy

Alia Koch DDS, MD, is the Director of the New York Presbyterian Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Academy for Physicians. LEAD Academy, introduced in 2017, provides education to rising-star physicians in the NYP health system. The Academy’s curriculum includes the highest yield components of an MBA and MHA through a partnership with Columbia Business School and the Department of Health Policy and Management. As a graduate of LEAD Academy herself, Dr. Koch is responsible for driving the direction of LEAD, providing individualized mentorship to the LEAD attendings, as well as selecting capstone projects. Dr. Koch graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics. She then obtained her DDS from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, and her MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. After completion of her residency program at New York Presbyterian – Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Koch joined the faculty, and now serves as the Program Director for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center-New York Presbyterian, and is an Associate Professor of Dental Medicine (Oral Surgery) at Columbia University Medical Center, where she continues to see patients in the Faculty Practice. She is also an active researcher in multiple NIH funded projects, and has published numerous book chapters. Dr. Koch is a Diplomate and Board Examiner for the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

Lauren De La Cruz, MBA

Program Manager, LEAD Academy

Lauren De La Cruz, MBA, is the Program Manager of LEAD Academy, a physician leadership and career development program at NewYork-Presbyterian. In this role, she collaborates with internal and external partners on the LEAD coursework, which provides the highest-yield components of an MBA and MHA curriculum. Prior to joining NewYork-Presbyterian, Lauren served as Senior Resource Development Coordinator within Hospital for Special Surgery's Professional Education Department and Communications Assistant at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. Lauren earned her BA in English at Barnard College and her MBA in Strategic Healthcare Management at Hofstra University.

Latoya Benjamin, PhD, MS

Coordinator, Dalio Center for Health Justice

Latoya Benjamin, PhD, MS, is the Coordinator for the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she is responsible for supporting administrative activities and project management tasks. Prior to this role, Latoya served as an Executive Assistant in the Human Resource, Total Rewards Department.  Latoya joined New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2012. Latoya graduated from the Northern Caribbean University, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She also obtained her doctorate in Public Health with an Epidemiology emphasis at Walden University and a Masters in Human Resource Administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Julie Ewing, MA

Manager, NewYork-Presbyterian Analytics

Julie Ewing is the Manager of our Health Justice Analytics team. In this role, she is responsible for setting our data strategy and leading our team of analysts and developers. The data team partners closely with the rest of The Dalio Center to conduct analyses and build tools to help draw relevant insights for decision making and strategic planning. Julie joined NewYork-Presbyterian in 2018 as Analyst supporting various operational and quality programs. Prior to NYP, she worked as an analyst with the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness. Julie earned her Bachelors of Science in Human Development from Cornell University, and holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology.

Koma Ogaye, MPH

Project Leader, NewYork-Presbyterian Analytics

Koma Ogaye, MPH, is the Project Leader supporting the Dalio Center for Health Justice Analytics team. Her role involves constructing comprehensive reports to facilitate informed decision-making and producing dynamic dashboards to monitor evolving trends across diverse projects. Joining NYP in 2017, Koma previously worked at the Comprehensive Health Program, addressing both clinical and operational data requirements. Prior to her tenure at NYP, she worked at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Koma holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Syracuse University and pursued her Master of Public Health in Population & Family Health with a Certificate in Research Methods from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Christian Schettini, MD, MPH

Senior Business Intelligence Developer, NewYork-Presbyterian Analytics

Christian Schettini, MD, MPH, is a Senior Business Intelligence Developer for NewYork-Presbyterian and provides data support for the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, he is responsible for developing data extracts to meet reporting and data analysis needs, as well as building dashboards to identify and monitor trends for different projects. Christian joined NYP in 2022 and previously worked at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University as a Project Manager for a research team investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social determinants of health. Christian graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Neurobiology & Behavior. He then obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine, followed by a Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Epidemiology, from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University School of Public Health.

Brandon Christophe, MHA

Senior Data Analyst, NewYork-Presbyterian Analytics

Brandon Christophe, MHA is a Senior Data Analyst for NewYork-Presbyterian and provides data support for the Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, he is responsible for developing data insights to meet reporting and data analytics needs, as well as building reporting products such as dashboards to identify and monitor trends for various areas of interest. Brandon joined NYP in 2023 and previously worked at Columbia University Irving Medical Center as a Senior Business Analyst, Neurosurgical Division Practice Manager, and Cerebrovascular Research Program Administrator. Brandon graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, with a concentration in premedical studies. He completed a Master of Healthcare Administration at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.