OHE Leadership
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Ernest Moy, MD Executive Director Email: Ernest.Moy@va.gov Ernest Moy, MD, MPH, is the Executive Director of the Office of Health Equity of the VHA. This office supports and coordinates efforts to understand and reduce disparities in health and health care affecting veterans. Prior to joining VHA, he was a Medical Officer in the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology at the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, he studied rural health disparities, analyzed linked hospital-vital statistics data to identify care patterns that placed patients at high risk for opioid poisoning death, and developed new data visualizations and partnerships for disseminating health statistics. Prior to CDC, he was Director of the Division in the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that designed and produced the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, submitted annually to Congress, and related web tools. He has also worked as a Director of Research and Assistant Vice President at the Association of American Medical Colleges, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Emergency Care Physician at the Baltimore VAMC. Ernest is a graduate of Harvard College, New York University School of Medicine, and Columbia University School of Public Health. Following internal medicine residency, he was a general internal medicine fellow at Columbia University and a Robert Wood Johnson Health Care Finance fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Ernest’s research interests include disparities in access and quality of care, particularly the application of electronic health records, machine learning, and systems science modeling to improve health care. He was selected to serve as the first Academy Health Innovator-in-Residence. |
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Kenneth T. Jones, PhD Kenneth T. Jones is the Deputy Executive Director of the Veterans Health Administration Office of Health Equity. With a focus on data-driven insights, workforce development, and education, he works to advance policies and programs that promote equitable health outcomes for all Veterans. His leadership supports efforts to enhance patient-centered care and improve the well-being of historically underserved populations. |
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Michelle Hutchinson, USA(RET), SPHR Michelle joined VA in 2018 where she began as a Human Resources Specialist in Workforce Management supporting Organizational Assessments and consulting with leadership teams on Organizational Health. She has also spent time as a Manpower Analyst in Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC). From January 2021 until starting her role in the Office of Health Equity she served as an Administrative Officer in the Office of Patient Care Services, (PCS) where she was as an HR Liaison between various PCS Program Offices and servicing HR Teams. Michelle is a US Army Veteran, she served 4 years in the Washington Army National Guard and as an active-duty Soldier for over 11 years. During her time on Active duty, she was a Human Resources Officer responsible for serving as leaderships primary advisor on all things Human Resources and providing personnel support to the Soldiers within her Organizations. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington State University, a master’s degree in human resources management from Webster University, and has held and maintained her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification since 2018.
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Justin List, MD, MAR, MSc, FACP Justin List, MD, MAR, MSc, FACP joined in 2022 as Director Health Care Outcomes in the Office of Health Equity where his team supports the field doing quality improvement projects that identify and address variation among Veteran health care outcomes in support of individualized care. He also advances work to advance algorithmic fairness and end algorithmic bias in clinical decision support tools. Prior to joining VHA, he was Assistant Vice President in the Office of Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC's municipal healthcare system), Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, and a practicing primary care internist. Among his many roles at NYC Health + Hospitals, he was part of the founding steering committee for its system Equity & Access Council and gained experience leading intergovernmental agency initiatives. Prior to NYC Health + Hospitals, he was Director of Clinical & Scientific Affairs in the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, overseeing the Cancer Prevention & Control Program, Public Health Detailing program, clinical tobacco control, while also providing scientific writing and review on division chronic disease research, communications, and programming. Justin is a graduate of Augustana College (IL), Yale Divinity School, and Loyola University Chicago - Stritch School of Medicine. During medical school, he was an NIH/Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholar in Kampala, Uganda and researched TB and HIV case finding. Following internal medicine residency in the Yale Internal Medicine-Primary Care Program, he was a VA-funded fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. He is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine. Justin is interested in operationalizing tools and programs based on data arising from the nexus of population health, quality improvement, and health equity. His research and clinical interests include chronic disease prevention and management, cancer disparities, mentorship/capacity-building, bioethics, and leadership.
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Lauren Korshak, DHealth(c), MS, RCEP Lauren Korshak is the Director of Education at OHE. Prior to joining OHE, Lauren worked within VHA to develop and expand VA’s strategic partnerships with nongovernmental organizations that included Amazon, YMCA, United States Tennis Association, (USTA), and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100 Million Healthier Lives Initiative, as well as with community Choice providers to ensure that Veterans were connected to treatment in their communities as well as within their VA Medical Centers. Lauren practiced as a physiologist at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center, where she oversaw the exercise and stress management components of the Lifestyle Intervention for Veterans (LIVe) Program at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center, a holistic program aimed at providing intensive diabetes management through lifestyle interventions as an adjunct to traditional medication therapy, and was engaged in epidemiology, systems redesign, and clinical research. Lauren holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, where she is a member of the teaching faculty. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Bath in England and explores and has published on the relationships between chronic disease, exercise capacity and mortality. Lauren has been interviewed by television news and radio channels about the importance of engaging in healthy behaviors. |
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Lauren E. Russell, MPP, MPH
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Shannon M. Jordan, MPH Shannon M. Jordan is a Program Analyst where she utilizes data analysis, evaluation and program management to support the advancement of health and health care equity for Veterans impacted by disparities. Shannon previously worked with the VA Office of Research and Development where she served as the Program Manager for the Scientific Merit Review Board and coordinated the Data and Safety Monitoring Board review process for Health Services Research and Development. Prior to joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Shannon worked for over 15 years as a Chemical Information Specialist for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM) Environmental Health and Toxicology Program where she developed and maintained biomedical information databases and specialized in designing and providing training and outreach programs and services for researchers, healthcare providers, and special populations to eliminate health disparities. She is the recipient of a 2014 White House GreenGov Presidential Award for her work on the NIH Substances of Concern Reduction Initiative. Shannon received her bachelor of science in chemistry and Master of Public Health degrees from Howard University. |
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Kelly Nestman, M.A. |
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Ashley L. Bowman, MPA, MSHI Ashley L. Bowman, MPA, MSHI, is a Health System Specialist. In this role, she utilizes data analysis, research findings, and evaluation projects to support the advancement of health and healthcare equity for patients impacted by disparities. She previously led access, productivity, and efficiency efforts as Ambulatory Care Operations Director. Ashley is a graduate of College of Charleston. Following graduation, she served in the United States Navy, beginning her career as a Communications Officer and concluding as an Executive Officer. After her military service, she earned both a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Health Informatics. She has dedicated her career to public service, accumulating over 20 years of experience across various sectors, including military, government, public universities, and community organizations. Ashley's professional interests include the use and development of data-driven decision support tools in the public sector, such as electronic health records, clinical decision support, and machine learning in healthcare. |
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Shane Lamba, MPH Shane holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology & Physiology from the University of British Columbia. And recently, he completed his Master of Public Health with a focus in Health Education & Promotion from the University of New England, and has been inducted as a member of the Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society Gamma Chi Chapter for his academic excellence and public health service. Shane’s interests include understanding how institutional/systemic factors impact Veteran health, as well as program development to promote health equity. |
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Sarah Leder, MSW |
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Eve (Chava) Sonnier, BS, LPN, MS, PCMHCCE Eve (Chava) Sonnier is a Health Systems Specialist with OHE where she works on data, research, and evaluation projects to better understand and address health equity issues for Veterans. Prior to joining OHE, Chava spent the past decade working in clinical informatics in the FQHC sector, utilizing data analytics to address health disparities for community health patients. Chava has also managed FQHCs, with a specific focus on overseeing the startup of new health centers for medically underserved populations. Before focusing on data-driven health equity quality improvement, Chava worked clinically as a nurse in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Chava holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development in addition to her undergraduate degrees in nursing, English literature, and biochemistry. |
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Jaime Boris, MHA, MS |
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Rachel Chandra, PharmD, MPH, FASHP Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner Email: rachel.chandra@va.gov |
OHE Health Equity Fellows and Scholars
VHA Health Equity Roundtable Fellows
Roundtable Fellows serve on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity to advance health equity and eliminate health disparities.
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Michelle S. Wong is a Health Science Specialist at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP). Her research interests are in health equity and social determinants of health, including how healthcare systems can address social determinants as a means to improve health equity. She has been involved in Office of Health Equity – QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEI) to examine and address racial/ethnic disparities in the VA healthcare system. Her most recent work with the PEI includes several first-authored publications that examined racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 testing, infection, and mortality, as well as an exploration of social determinants that may explain these disparities. Her prior research has examined the relationship between social determinants—including neighborhoods, family, and housing policies—and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity-related outcomes and behaviors. |
Health Equity Fellows
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Margaret Viboolsittiseri, M.A. Margaret has a debut with Paper View Books and has contributed to dozens of anthologies, including ‘My teeth don’t chew on shrapnel’: an anthology of poetry by military veterans (Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre, 2020), available as a free download with helpful prompts for veterans’ art and poetry workshops. Selected exhibitions include Honolulu Printmakers at the Downtown Art Center in Honolulu, HI, L’Air Arts in Atelier 11 at Cité Falquière, the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Honfleur Gallery in Historic Anacostia, Dulles International Art Gallery in Dulles, VA, the Library of Congress and Embassy of the United Kingdom in Washington, DC. |
