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Current Officers

GSGA 2023-2024 Officers 


President – Zaire Ali

Zaire is a New Jersey native, who was born and raised in Plainfield, NJ until he left to attend Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania. While at Lock Haven he became an All-American boxer, working hard and dedicating himself to his studies while earning his AA and B.S. Degree. Ten years later, Zaire proudly holds two Master’s Degrees in Education and Public Health. 

Zaire is Director of the Urban Health Collaborative 501(c)(3), where he leads a team to help educate the community and alleviate some of the burdens of systemic racism and the negative impacts it has on folks living in urban communities throughout New Jersey and New York. 

After finishing his degree, he plans to run for state political office, and one day be part of Congress or the Senate. He pledges to amplify the voices of the people and be a major disruptor to the political system that oftentimes marginalizes and discriminates against minority and vulnerable communities.  

Vice-President – Shari Jardine

Shari is a Public Health Practitioner, innovative strategist, and leader with a myriad of public health experience in community, city, national and multinational organizations. Shari is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Community Health and Health Policy track at the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy, with a specialization in Maternal Child Reproductive and Sexual Health. She is particularly interested in global health, sustainable emergency disaster management, social determinants of health, cultural competency, health equity, anti-racism, and school-based sex education.

Shari is currently the Deputy Director for the Center for Global Health at Northwell Health, where she co-leads all global health efforts for the entire health system. During her tenure, Shari served as the Chief Procurement Officer and Incident Commander of the South Beach Psychiatric Hospital COVID-19 alternate care site for over a year. Prior to this, Shari served as the Program Manager of the Community Health and Social Medicine (CHASM) Initiatives for Northwell Health, where she managed the Screening, Referral, and Navigation program and Medical-Legal Partnership with Hofstra University across three clinical sites.

Treasurer – Antionette Wearing

Antionette is from Harlem, New York. She is in the health policy and management department and also completing the maternal, reproductive, child, and sexual health specialization. Antionette’s focus is on equitable sexual and reproductive health policies and integrating doulas into perinatal clinical care teams. She is the current GSGA Treasurer and the Vice Chair for Fiscal Affairs for the University Student Senate. She loves that she can work with students and leadership teams on ways to get the student body more engaged and advocate for opportunities where CUNY SPH students can grow academically and professionally.

Communications Officer – Pankti Patel

Pankti is from South Brunswick, New Jersey, but moved to New York City to pursue her master’s degree. She is a second year MPH student in the Community Health concentration. Pankti is interested in public health communications after she graduates. She is a Communications Officer for the Graduate Student Government which she really enjoys. Her favorite part of being a part of the GSGA is coming up with events so peers have a chance to meet others.

Masters Senator – Valerie Michailovich

Valerie is a second year MPH student in the Community Health stream. Valerie is native to Canada and moved to New York City two years ago to pursue her degree. Prior to beginning her studies, Valerie worked in Parliament, serving a Canadian parliamentarian in a policy development role. She is passionate about healthy aging and policies that advance aging-in-place. She enjoys meeting her peers and being a part of the larger student community.

Masters Senator – Nimra Rahman

Nimra Rahman is from Queens, New York City. Here at CUNY SPH, she is studying for her Master of Public Health in Community Health. She also serves as a student representative for the Committee for Equity & Inclusion and a master’s Senator for the Graduate Student Government. Her favorite part of being a student representative is being able to interact with the student body, be their voice, and spread inclusivity. 

Doctoral Senator – Amena El-Harakeh

Amena, a doctoral student in Community Health and Health Policy at CUNY SPH, is from Lebanon. She earned a BSc in Environmental Health from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2015. She received the Penrose Award that recognizes a graduating public health student who demonstrates excellence in scholarship, character, leadership, and contribution to university life. In 2017, she graduated with her MPH (Health Management and Policy) from AUB where she became interested in health policy and systems research.

Amena was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society of Public Health in 2017. She then began working as a junior research scientist at the Center for Systematic Reviews on Health Policy and Systems Research (SPARK) at AUB where she was involved in multiple systematic reviews commissioned by the World Health Organization to inform its guidelines. Her primary research interests include health policy and systems research, migrants’ health, and health equity.

Governance Council

Ex Officio – Zaire Ali
CHSS Rep. – TBD
EOGHS Rep. – Rachel Thompson
EPI/BIO Rep. – Justine Maffei
HPAM Rep. – TBD
Master’s Program Rep. – Malika Christopher
Doctoral Program Rep. – Rachel Thompson
Alternates – Malika Christopher, Rachel Thompson

Committee for Equity & Inclusion

Nimra Rahman & Antionette Wearing

Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee

Zaire Ali & Nimra Rahman