Lauren Russell is currently a member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Master of Public Health (MPH) class of 2022. In addition to her current role as a full-time student, Lauren serves on the Hopkins Student Outreach Resource Center (SOURCE) Student Governing Board, and she works part-time as a research assistant and teaching assistant at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prior to returning to school, Lauren worked with the U.S. 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. Outside of work, Lauren enjoyed serving as the Sports Chair for the UVA Club of Boston and as a mentor for four years 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 MPH. Lauren earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Linguistics and Philology and Interdisciplinary Global Studies – Public Health at the University of Virginia.