Meet the Community Affairs Team

Melissa Baiyewu oversees initiatives designed to improve population health outcomes and address community health needs for children, youth and families in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. She manages health promotion and disease prevention programs and leads strategic initiatives around building collaborative partnerships and improving advocacy efforts to reduce disparities and advance health equity. Email Melissa Baiyewu. 

Mallory Bove builds multisectoral partnerships that promote health, wellness and disease prevention. She also manages community outreach and community-based education initiatives and supports community health improvement efforts.

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Julia DeAngelo, MPH, collaborates with Children's National staff to plan, implement, evaluate and sustain data-driven school-friendly programs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. She also supports advocacy and population health improvement efforts, including the implementation of the Community Health Improvement Plan where she serves as co-lead for the Early Childhood Education workgroup.

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Courtney Dennis builds partnerships between the hospital, local school districts and relevant organizations to support Children's National's vision of becoming a School-Friendly Health System. She also leads community health improvement initiatives and collaborative efforts with community and national organizations to advance health and education equity for children and families.

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Desiree de la Torre is the executive director of community and government affairs and she leads the organization’s population health improvement planning process, including support for community-based organizations, health equity, and compliance with federal community benefit regulations.

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Tesa White manages the Community Benefit Program. The program demonstrates the hospital’s investment in the local, regional, and national community though programs and activities that provide treatment or promote health and healing in response to an identified community health need. Email Tessa White.