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The CUNY SPH Office of Alumni Relations and the CUNY SPH Foundation are excited to present the “Ten for Ten: Honoring a Decade of Impact” alumni awards – celebrating 10 outstanding alumni who graduated during our first decade, and who exemplify leadership, service, and impact in public health.
A committee of CUNY SPH faculty, staff, and Foundation board members selected the awardees from 60 nominations.
The Ten for Ten will be honored at our inaugural Alumni Excellence Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. This milestone event will offer a moment to reflect on the collective impact of our school in advancing public health across NYC and beyond.
Meet the awardees:
Helen Arteaga, PhD, is the CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, a Level I Trauma Center and the second oldest public hospital in New York City. Under Helen’s leadership, Elmhurst has been recognized as one of U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Regional Hospitals” and as one of the nation’s “High Performing” hospitals.
Helen received her PhD from CUNY SPH in 2023. She has used the invaluable knowledge she gained in the program as a tool to push for health equity and a fairer, more just healthcare system. Her role as a public health champion informs the decisions she makes daily while running one of New York City’s largest medical facilities.
Over the past five years, Helen has secured millions in public funding for key capital projects for Elmhurst, including $27.5 million from New York State for a new women’s pavilion and a pediatric intensive care unit. In addition to her degree from CUNY, Helen has a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University.
In 2025, she was named one of City and State’s Queens Power 100. She has also been noted as one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know” for both 2024 and 2025. Helen is a recipient of the prestigious Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund for her distinguished accomplishments in the field of urban public health, and the Mujeres Destacadas award from El Diario NY.
Daryle M. Campbell-Blackstock, PhD, MPH, PA-C, CCTC, is the director of clinical transplant operations at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he leads clinical transplant strategy and operations across the enterprise. Since 2020, he helped unified programs, strengthened quality outcomes, and enhanced patient safety during COVID-19—advancing access and equity in transplant care for diverse and underserved populations.
His leadership emphasizes addressing the social and structural determinants that influence transplant access, patient outcomes, and workforce diversity. Daryle’s doctoral research at CUNY SPH examined social and structural variables driving COVID-19 disparities in New York City communities, integrating geospatial, genetic, and epidemiologic methods to highlight inequities in respiratory disease outcomes.
Daryle has been honored as the 2025 New York State Society of Physician Associates (NYSSPA) Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion PA of the Year for his demonstrated commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in practice and advocacy.
Daryle serves on the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the Boldly Against Racism Task Force, and the American Transplant Congress (ATC) Planning Committee (2024–2026). He is the incoming president of the American Board for Transplant Certification and a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of PAs. It is such an honor for him to be recognized in the inaugural 10 for 10 CUNY SPH Award.
Athena Huckaby, MPH, is a public health leader, harm reduction advocate, and community organizer based in New Mexico. She serves as community outreach manager for Ideal Option, a national network of clinics providing evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder, where she builds partnerships and strengthens referral pathways to treatment and recovery services across the state.
Athena is chair of the Las Cruces Suicide Prevention Task Force and co-founder of the Grajeda Huckaby Low-Barrier Housing Fund, which provides safe housing for individuals in recovery. She is also the Southwest naloxone hub for the New Mexico Health Care Authority, distributing life-saving medication and training across eight counties. In addition, she is an appointee to the New Mexico Behavioral Health Planning Council, where she contributes to statewide policy recommendations on behavioral health and substance use disorder care.
Through her consulting practice, Athena has trained hundreds of providers, peers, and families on the continuum of care for substance use disorder, suicide prevention, and harm reduction. A proud graduate of CUNY SPH (MPH, 2017), Athena is committed to reducing stigma around mental health and substance use disorder, expanding naloxone and medications for opioid use disorder access, and reducing overdose deaths.
Grounded in medicine, public health, and research, Pavan Lohia has built his career and education by advancing health systems through evidence-based strategy, operational intelligence, and cross-sector innovation. His education at UC Irvine (B.S. Public Health Sciences & Business, 2017), CUNY SPH (M.P.H. Community Health, 2020) and as a medical student, has strengthened his ability to integrate data, leadership, and field application to design scalable, equity-focused solutions that improve community and global health outcomes.
At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Pavan led clinical research on COVID-19 and PTSD in 9/11 responders, helping to shape national recovery frameworks and strengthen workforce resilience for high-risk populations.
During his service with the U.S. Army Surgeon Command Unit, he specialized in medical intelligence, conducting biosurveillance, operational health assessments, and disease threat analysis across the Americas to support military and humanitarian readiness missions. At the National Science Foundation, he managed over $310 million in federal research programs, earning the 2021 Scientific Achievement of the Year Award for advancing cross-disciplinary innovation in science and health systems.
As founder & CEO of PavLyfe Healthcare, Pavan continues to develop global initiatives that merge technology, analytics, and public health strategy to build resilient, equitable, and data-driven healthcare ecosystems worldwide.
Tala Mansi is an accomplished public health leader with more than a decade of experience advancing health equity across humanitarian and public health systems. She has worked on programmatic areas that include youth leadership, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, disease eradication, and public health emergency preparedness, at organizations like UNICEF USA, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and currently, the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.
As senior advisor for racial equity & social justice programming in the Office of Emergency Preparedness & Response, Tala leads efforts to embed racial justice across the department’s emergency preparedness programs, policies, and systems, addressing structural and social inequities in public health, to advance how the city prepares for and responds to crises. She is also a founding member of the NYC Health Department’s first Employee Resource Group for staff of Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) descent, which fosters education about Arab, Muslim, and SWANA identities to strengthen the department’s equity efforts and cultural competence.
Born and raised in Queens, Tala is the daughter of Palestinian refugees exiled during the 1948 Nakba. Her public health practice is shaped by her Palestinian identity, Black feminist thought, social medicine, art, and principles of community organizing. She holds a BA in political science from CUNY Baruch, a Master of Public Administration in nonprofit management and policy from New York University, and a Master of Public Health from the CUNY SPH, making her a proud double CUNY graduate.
Tala is recognized as a 40 Under 40 Leader in Public Health by the de Beaumont Foundation for innovative contributions to advancing equity and systems change. Outside of her work, she enjoys cooking, comedy shows, and taking long walks with her dog.
Jose Mazariego is an immigrant from El Salvador whose lived experiences fuel his commitment to advancing immigrant health equity through rigorous and community-grounded research. After earning his MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from CUNY SPH in 2024, he began pursuing his PhD in epidemiology, focusing on how social policies and structural barriers shape health outcomes among immigrant populations.
As a current doctoral fellow at the Center for Immigrant, Refugee, and Global Health, Jose’s work focuses on examining how exclusionary state and local policies affect immigrant health and well-being. His work responds to a growing climate of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and emphasizes the need for data-driven evidence to counter stigma and guide equitable policymaking.
Grounded in both personal and professional experience, Jose’s work bridges public health research and social justice. He is committed to ensuring that immigrants are recognized, represented, and centered in research and policy discussion. His mission is to break down walls and build bridges for the next generation of public health professionals.
Radhika Sood is a highly accomplished senior director of data analytics with over 15 years of experience in program planning, development, evaluation, and data analysis.
Currently leading data strategy at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Radhika spearheads data collection, management, analysis, visualization, and communication to drive organizational impact. Her core expertise lies in developing comprehensive evaluation tools, ensuring meticulous quality assurance, and providing critical insights from both quantitative and qualitative sources. Radhika places a special focus on data storytelling, ensuring complex information is accessible and understood by the general public.
Prior to AFSP, Radhika’s significant contributions include her evaluation work with the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to improve the health of the homeless population. She also earned a Frederick O’Reilly Hayes Prize 2020 Honorable Mention for her vital data analysis and collaboration with the NYC DOHMH and community providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her professional background also features impactful roles with UNICEF-India and the Government of India.
Allison Sosna is a food systems leader with over 15 years of experience advancing health equity, sustainable sourcing, and Food as Medicine innovation.
At World Central Kitchen, Allison oversaw the COVID-19 food box program, providing over 5 million meals to low-income communities and partnering with technology firms to improve the nutritional quality of 30 million meals. She also served on the Red Cross Nutrition Committee, helping develop national nutrition standards for emergency feeding.
As director of Procurement & Community Nutrition at Tangelo, Allison advanced medically tailored meal programs integrating technology, nutrition science, and equitable sourcing from BIPOC- and women-owned suppliers.
Now the founder of a consultancy at the intersection of food, health, and equity, Allison helps organizations strengthen food operations, culturally relevant nutrition programs, and supply chains while measuring impact.
She holds an MPH in Nutrition from CUNY SPH, a culinary degree, and a BA in communications and sociology from American University. Allison has been featured in The Washington Post, spoken at TEDx, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, and recognized by the Obama Administration for her leadership addressing food insecurity.
Thinh Toan Vu, PhD, is a city research scientist at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and an adjunct assistant professor at CUNY York College. A first-generation U.S. immigrant from Vietnam and the first in his family to graduate high school, he overcame early hardships, including childhood homelessness. These experiences inspired his dedication to advancing health equity.
Thinh has received prestigious fellowships from the Fogarty International Center at UCLA, the Fogarty-IeDEA Mentorship Program at the Kirby Institute/University of New South Wales, and the Weill Cornell Medicine Career Advancement for Research in Health Equity program. His work has been recognized through numerous national and institutional awards, including the APHA Cancer Public Health Student Award, APHA Young Professional Award in International Health, Boston Congress of Public Health’s 40 under 40 Public Health Catalyst Award, and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Emerging Professional Award.
Thinh’s research centers on mental health, substance use, and HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on scaling integrated care models for underserved BIPOC and global communities through implementation science. Committed to transforming systems for marginalized populations, his work reflects resilience, expertise, and a powerful dedication to social justice, demonstrating how lived experience combined with rigorous science can drive meaningful public health change.
Ashley Womble, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader in mental health communications and crisis response. Her work spans journalism, public affairs, and large-scale public health interventions—all centered on the belief that seeking help should be seen as a strength, not a weakness.
With a Master in Public Health and deep expertise in government relations, partnerships, and thought leadership, Ashley has been at the forefront of destigmatizing mental health and advancing help-seeking behavior for diverse audiences, from Gen Z to policymakers. At the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now 988), she redesigned the website as a public health resource and partnered with Facebook and Google to improve discoverability and develop online safety best practices. She later led marketing at Crisis Text Line, securing major media coverage for the organization’s COVID response and launched a UK affiliate with The Royal Foundation. She served as the launch director for the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline under the Biden Administration.
Now, Ashely leads marketing and public affairs at Brave Health, a mission-driven telehealth provider delivering therapy and psychiatry to individuals with Medicaid and Medicare. She’s also the author of Everything Is Going to Be OK, a guide for young adults living with mental illness.
