Lauren Russell is currently a member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) class of 2022. In addition to her current role as a full-time student, Ms. Russell serves on the Hopkins SOURCE Student Governing Board and University of Virginia Batten School Alumni Advisory Council, and she works part-time as a research assistant and teaching assistant at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prior to returning to school for her M.P.H. degree, Ms. Russell worked for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) New England Healthcare System. She began her career as a Presidential Management Fellow, then co-developed and co-led a multi-site health-related social needs screening and referral program known as the Assessing Circumstances & Offering Resources for Needs (ACORN) initiative. She also served as a member of the Veterans Health Administration Health Equity Coalition. Outside of work, Ms. Russell enjoyed serving as a mentor with Minds Matter – Boston, an organization which “connects driven and determined students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world.” Her experiences at the VA and with Minds Matter – Boston fueled her interest in and commitment to developing programs and policies that promote health equity and led her to pursue an M.P.H. Before moving to Massachusetts, Ms. Russell earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Linguistics and Philology and Interdisciplinary Global Studies – Public Health as well as a Master of Public Policy at the University of Virginia.