Research Fellows

Rediet Bayou is currently a graduate student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she is pursuing a degree in Health Policy. She previously earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology. Before attending Harvard, she worked in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology research at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, which fueled her interest in maternal and child health advocacy and policy reforms. This interest ultimately led her to pursue a degree in Health Policy.

To further her understanding of health policy and the impact of research on policymaking, Rediet joined the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi as part of the Winokur Fellowship program. During her time in Jackson, under the guidance of Dr. Linda Southward, she had the opportunity to interview and learn from various stakeholders experienced in working with foster youth.

Rediet’s project with the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi is focused on developing a Strategic Research and Development Plan for youth transitioning out of foster care in Mississippi.

Rosie is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.   She completed a post-baccalaureate degree at Harvard University and then earned her MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Boston University School of Public Health.  She volunteered in Uganda, East Africa where she focused on program development and writing policies to protect orphans impacted by HIV/AIDS. She then worked at AIDS Action Committee, Boston coordinating direct health and concrete services for HIV+ and AIDS clients.  She managed an ADHD randomized clinical trial at Boston Children’s Hospital. She managed multilingual community health workers at MGH Chelsea Healthcare Center in prevention services. She spent eight years at the Commonwealth of MA Dept of Early Education and Care as a quality assurance specialist where she used her analytical, child development, and contract management skills to oversee a prevention model.   In her recent role at East Boston Social Centers, she is the Director of Resilient Families Every Child Shines a parent-led, community-wide, and social justice-oriented movement to achieve equitable educational and various outcomes in early childhood. Rosie’s project at CFM focuses on innovative approaches for mental health in managed care for children in foster care using Value Based Payments. 

Amit Kumar is a 1st-year graduate student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health pursuing an MPH in the field of Health Policy. Amit was raised in a small town in New Jersey called Toms River before completing his BS in Psychological Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. There, he researched learning and memory neuroscience, community health, and health policy analysis. Upon graduation, Amit worked at Attune Health, an outpatient autoimmune clinic, as the director of social media, as well as a clinical research coordinator and medical assistant. Amit’s project with CFM centers around developing innovative solutions to improve mental health outcomes among children in the Mississippi Foster Care system. 

Dr. Brathwaite-Dingle is an experienced board-certified community pediatrician.
She has spent the last two decades caring for children in New York, Maryland, and
Texas. Immediately prior to beginning graduate studies, Dr. Brathwaite-Dingle
worked as a pediatric urgent care physician for Texas Children’s Urgent Care. She
is currently a master’s in public health candidate in the department of Health
Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. At
Harvard’s Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, she is completing an
interdisciplinary concentration in Maternal and Child Health and was selected as a
member of the Maternal and Child Health Leadership Lab cohort.

A native of Brooklyn, New York and a graduate of New York City’s Stuyvesant High
School, Dr. Brathwaite-Dingle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from
the University of Pennsylvania and a Medical Doctorate from Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in Bronx, NY where she was a National Hispanic Scholar, a
Carl Icahn Child Protection Fellow and the first recipient of the Montefiore Staff
and Alumni Prize. Dr. Brathwaite-Dingle completed Pediatric Residency training
at Montefiore Medical Center-Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

Currently I am doing a MPH in Global Health with the Humanitarian Concentration at Harvard
TH Chan, due to graduate in May 2022. My background is a pediatrician based in the UK
Liverpool, having completed my membership for the Royal College of Child Health and
Pediatrics in 2021. My interests have focused on research in Type I Diabetes in children and
adolescents, having completed work on technology, diagnosis and management of diabetes
and its complications. Likewise, I have a keen interest in nutrition and infectious diseases such
as vaccination programs; having been involved in the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial. My future
interests include managing non-communicable conditions in children affected by humanitarian
crises and improving education and access to health care in these settings by working closely
with NGOs.

Courtney is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health focusing on Health Care Organization and Policy with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health Policy and Leadership at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and will complete her degree in May of 2022. She is a Huntsville, Alabama native and earned her bachelor’s degree in public health with a concentration in Global Health Studies from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2020. Courtney has a background in policy analysis and program planning and evaluation, and has hopes to work in these areas.

As one of two interns working with the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, during Fall, 2021, Courtney conducted research on post-graduation preparedness and life skills development in Mississippi children. The research conducted will contribute to completion of Phase II of the Blueprint for Improving the Future of Mississippi’s Children.

Muksha L. Jingree holds a Master’s in Public Health in Nutrition from Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health. She is originally from Mauritius and her early exposure to non-
communicable diseases in her country has boosted Muksha’s interest in public health nutrition.
Prior to Harvard, she was a Clinical Research Coordinator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center where she was involved in a community-based research program aimed at improving the
health of New York City taxi drivers. She has a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from
New York University and is interested in diabetes prevention and management through nutrition
interventions. During her time at Harvard Chan, Muksha was a Harvard-Mississippi Delta
Fellow where she assisted in the development of the second phase of a Blueprint to improve the
health and nutritional outcomes of Mississippi’s children. Muksha speaks English, French,
Mauritian Creole, Hindi and Bhojpuri, and enjoys cooking, reading and yoga in her spare time.

Kyla is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health focusing on Epidemiology at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and will complete her degree in May of 2022. She is a Detroit,
Michigan native and earned her bachelor’s degree in public health from Bowling Green State
University in 2018. Kyla has a background in Medicaid and Medicare clinical review and
research in Intellectual and Development disabilities and is planning to begin a career in
Epidemiology after graduation.

As one of two interns working with the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, during Fall, 2021,
Kyla conducted research on post-graduation preparedness and life skills development in
Mississippi children. The research conducted will contribute to completion of Phase II of the
Blueprint for Improving the Future of Mississippi’s Children.