Janesia Simmons, MPH, CHES

Janesia Simmons, MPH, CHES, Secretary, is very passionate about public health and the health of youth and young adults in urban areas.

In 2006, Janesia was afforded the opportunity to travel to South Africa as a peer educator with a non-profit organization to study the state of black health in South Africa and the underlining the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The work that she completed in South Africa led her to serve as Community Health Educator for the Baltimore City Health Department. There she was involved in several projects and programs geared to teen issues. Janesia served as the Coordinator for Healthy Teens & Young Adults Center Peer Education Program, Youth Advisory Council, and as Health Educator for several health education programs and curriculum development projects. She also assisted the Health Department’s Bureau of Maternal & Infant Care, supporting their communications efforts for the “Strategy to Improve Birth Outcomes”.

Janesia is featured in the Montgomery County African-American Health Program sponsored, award-winning documentary film entitled, Let’s Talk about HIV/AIDS, whose aim is to educate young African Americans about the disease.

In 2009, Janesia, along with three other fabulous ladies, founded Divas, Making Our People Healthier (www.divasmph.org) – a women’s health non-profit organization dedicated to educating, empowering, and mobilizing women to take an active interest achieving and maintain their health. Janesia’s work with Divas, MPH includes coordinating health events and awareness campaigns, and engaging community members, as well as partner organizations.

In addition to co-founding a non-profit, Janesia is featured in the Montgomery County African-American Health Program sponsored, award-winning documentary film entitled, Let’s Talk about HIV/AIDS, whose aim is to educate young African Americans about the disease. She is also featured in the 2009 documentary Crisis in the Crib, which highlights Tonya Lee Lewis (producer, lawyer, and wife of director Spike Lee), physicians, researchers and college students in their quest to raise awareness around the issue of infant mortality.

Janesia graduated from Blake High School in Silver Spring, Maryland and earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Health Education and Master’s of Public Health at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Currently, Janesia serves as Public Health Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration.