Meet the Child Health Advocacy Institute Team
Leadership
Lee Ann Savio Beers, MD
Locations
Departments

Olanrewaju Omolayo Falusi, MD
- Medical Director, Advocacy Education, Child Health Advocacy Institute
- Director, LAUnCH Track
- Associate Director, Pediatric Residency Program LAUnCH Track
- Pediatrician
Olanrewaju Omolayo Falusi, MD
Locations
Departments

Chaya T. Merrill, Dr.P.H.
- Director, Child Health Data Lab
- Assistant Director, Community Engagement Research Component
Desiree de la Torre
- Director, Community Affairs & Population Health Improvement
Desiree de la Torre
Languages
- English
Biography
Desiree de la Torre, Director of Community Affairs and Population Health Improvement, leads the organization’s population health improvement planning process, including support for community-based organizations, health equity and compliance with federal community benefit regulations. Email Desiree de la Torre.
Tonya Vidal Kinlow
- Vice President, Community Engagement, Advocacy & Government Affairs
Tonya Vidal Kinlow
Languages
- English
Biography
Tonya Vidal Kinlow, M.P.A., is vice president of Community Engagement, Advocacy & Government Affairs at Children’s National. She leads Children's local and national advocacy and education efforts under the umbrella of the Child Health Advocacy Institute. She also works with federal and local government stakeholders to ensure that the needs of children are kept in the forefront of the development of policies and regulations. Prior to joining Children’s National in 2014, Ms. Kinlow was the vice president of Government Affairs for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in the National Capital Area. She has spent 25 years leading and managing government relations for associations and health care payers including the District of Columbia Hospital Association, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the National Medical Association. As a prominent community leader, Ms. Kinlow has held a number of elected and volunteer leadership positions with Washington, D.C., metropolitan area community organizations. Her advocacy on behalf of children extends beyond her work in health care. Ms. Kinlow is a former member of the D.C. Board of Education and was the first ombudsman for D.C. Public Schools. In both roles, she fought to make sure all District children had access to quality, free public education. She currently holds board membership roles with the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, the Greater Washington Urban League., and the Consumer Health Foundation, and is also co-chair of the Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta GEMS. Ms. Kinlow received her master’s degree in public administration from American University and her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Loyola University of New Orleans, La.
CHAI Affiliate Faculty Leadership

Lin Chun-Seeley MA
- Program Lead, Youth Engagement
Lin Chun-Seeley MA
Languages
- English
Lin Chun-Seeley works in the Child Health Advocacy Institute.

Danielle Goodman Dooley, MD,MPhil
- Medical Director, Community Affairs and Population Health
- Pediatrician
Danielle Goodman Dooley, MD,MPhil
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Departments
Tamara Laurel Gayle, MD
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Departments
Jessica R. Weisz, MD
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Departments
CHAI Affiliate Faculty member

Anisha Anna Abraham, MD
- Acting Chief, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine
- Program Director, Adolescent Medicine Fellowship
- Director, Donald Delaney Eating Disorders Clinic
Anisha Anna Abraham, MD
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Departments
Kaushalendra Amatya, PhD
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Departments
Asad Karamali Bandealy, MD
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Departments

Priti D. Bhansali, MD
- Director, Children's Academy of Pediatric Educators
- Associate Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship
- Hospitalist

Kathleen Marie Brown, MD
- Associate Division Chief, Emergency Medicine
- Medical Director, Quality
- Emergency Medicine Physician
Kathleen Marie Brown, MD
Locations
Departments
Celina Brunson, MD
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Departments

Ashley Darcy-Mahoney PhD, NNP, FAAN
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Ashley Darcy-Mahoney PhD, NNP, FAAN
Locations
Languages
- English
Departments
Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, Ph.D., N.N.P., FAAN, is an affiliate faculty member of the Child Health Advocacy Institute and a neonatal nurse practitioner and researcher. She has worked throughout her career to advance nursing research, education and practice, with a focus on neonatology, infant health and developmental pediatrics. Her research has led to the creation of programs that improve health and developmental outcomes for at-risk and preterm infants.
As an associate professor of nursing and the director of infant research at the George Washington University's Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, Dr. Darcy-Mahoney advances the body of research in infant health and developmental outcomes in high-risk infants with a focus on understanding the early brain and development trajectories in this population. In addition to her work with the institute, she conducts interdisciplinary research through "Talk With Me Baby" a multi-agency initiative using the nursing workforce to educate parents in the importance of talking and engaging with their babies in early infancy. Her research seeks to improve early-childhood outcomes for these infants, most recently through language interventions that improve future literacy and cognitive development.
She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nurses, the 2020 National Academy of Medicine Scholar and a 2017 Josiah Macy Scholar.

Gabrina LaTria Dixon, MD,MED
- Director, Advancing Diversity in Academic Pediatrics
- Associate Medical Education Director
- Hospitalist

Katie Ann Donnelly, MD
- Director, Resident Education
- Director, Medical Student Clerkship
- Medical Director, Safe Kids DC
- Emergency Medicine Physician
Katie Ann Donnelly, MD
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Departments
Melissa Renee Dvorsky, PhD
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Departments
Eduardo Raul Fox, MD
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Departments
Theiline Twehdi Gborkorquellie, MD
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Departments

Rana Farouk Hamdy, MD,MPH,MSCE
- Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program
- Associate Director, Fellowship Training Program
- Infectious Diseases Specialist
Amanda Elizabeth Hastings, PsyD
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Departments

Linda Jones Herbert, PhD
- Director, Psychosocial Clinical Program, Allergy and Immunology
- Psychologist
Linda Jones Herbert, PhD
Locations
Departments

Allison McCarley Jackson, MD,MPH
- Division Chief, Child and Adolescent Protection Center
- Pediatrician
Allison McCarley Jackson, MD,MPH
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Departments
Lenore Renee Jarvis, MD
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Departments

Simmy King DNP, MS, MBA, RN-BC, NE-BC
- Nursing Director, Clinical Information Systems and Professional Development
Simmy King DNP, MS, MBA, RN-BC, NE-BC
Languages
- English

Wei Li Adeline Koay, MBBS,MSC
- Infectious Diseases Specialist
- Investigator, Children's National Research Institute
Jessica Anne Lazerov, MD
Locations
Departments
Yolanda A. Lewis-Ragland, MD
Locations
Departments

Melissa Madeleine Fitch Long, MD
- Medical Director, DC Mental Health Access in Pediatrics
- Pediatrician
Melissa Madeleine Fitch Long, MD
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Departments
Matthew Allen Magyar, MD
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Departments

Shideh Majidi, MD
- Associate Director, Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes Program
- Endocrinologist
Shideh Majidi, MD
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Departments
Jaytoya Chenelle Manget, NP,DNP,FNP
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Departments
Daniel Ari Newman, MD
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Departments
Kavita Parikh, MD
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Departments

Shilpa Jayanti Patel, MD
- Medical Director, IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic
- Emergency Medicine Physician
Shilpa Jayanti Patel, MD
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Departments
Hope Elizabeth Rhodes, MD,MPH
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Departments
Nikita Pushpa Rodrigues, PhD
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Departments
Meghan M Schott, DO
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Departments

Yael Tobie Smiley, MD
- Assistant Program Director, LAUnCH Track, Pediatric Residency Program
- Pediatrician
Yael Tobie Smiley, MD
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Departments

Stephen J. Teach, MD,MPH
- Chair, Department of Pediatrics
- Associate Dean, Pediatric Faculty Affairs
Stephen J. Teach, MD,MPH
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Departments
Alicia Marie Tucker, MD
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Departments
Chloe Elizabeth Turner, MD
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Departments

Laura Marie Willing, MD
- Co-Director, Anxiety Disorders Program
- DCMAP Children's National Hospital Site Lead
- Associate Program Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Training Program
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist