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Who I am

I am a proud New Yorker, small business owner, and a long-term resident of Manhattan, where my family has lived for five generations. I have lived on the East and West sides, uptown and downtown. I gave birth to both my children at Lenox Hill Hospital - my oldest during the 2003 blackout. And I am a public health expert, activist, and scientist deeply alarmed by what’s happening in our country.

What I’ve done

I have spent my life working to create a world where every person, everywhere has the right to health - whatever their race, nationality, or gender. From access to vaccines, TB and HIV treatment, contraception, and palliative care services, I have worked here in New York, for the federal government, and around the world. I have designed and managed health programs that delivered hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines; lowered the cost of life saving medicines; and when those programs and our rights have been under threat, I have marched on the streets to demand change. Because that is our right in a free America.

Why now

Under this administration, the federal government has taken an ax to our rights - destroying the very systems designed to protect us. The attacks on health are a blatant example of the neglect, ignorance, and malice we face. The federal government’s job is to decide what vaccines are available at our local pharmacies; guarantee the medicines we take are safe and effective; and stop deadly viruses before they reach New York. When it fails to do its job, as is the case now, we are all more vulnerable. I’m deeply concerned about the direction of our country and the health of our democracy. I’m exploring how I can best serve and I want to hear from New Yorkers about what matters most to them.