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Two Health Department Staff Recognized As Rising Leaders in Public Health

Dr. Julian L. Watkins and Carolyn Rhodebeck named to de Beaumont Foundation’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health

Honorees include epidemiologists, program managers, researchers, and policy analysts from health departments, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector

September 7, 2023 — Today the de Beaumont Foundation announced its 2023 40 Under 40 in Public Health honorees, which include the Health Department’s Dr. Julian L. Watkins and Carolyn Rhodebeck. The 40 Under 40 in Public Health list recognizes and elevates equity-focused, service-oriented leaders changing the face of public health in creative and innovative ways. Dr. Julian L. Watkins, Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building, and Carolyn Rhodebeck, Strengthening the U.S. Response to Resistant Gonorrhea (SURRG) Epidemiology Coordinator for the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections, are among the honorees selected by a distinguished panel of public health leaders for their leadership and impact on their community’s health.

“Our staff, and these honorees, are exceptional in so many ways and deeply deserving of recognition,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “While they excel in their roles, recent events have pushed them far beyond their day-to-day job descriptions and they have done everything asked of them and more. Julian and Carolyn are the present and future of public health, and bring honor and credit to the field. We are grateful to the de Beaumont Foundation for reflecting their light back to them with this recognition. It is well deserved.”

“The professionals chosen for the 40 Under 40 in Public Health Class of 2023 demonstrate the determination, commitment, innovation, and resilience of the public health field,” said Dr. Brian C. Castrucci, President and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, which launched the program in 2019. “Their work is strengthening communities and improving lives, and I look forward to following their careers and learning from them.”

About Dr. Julian L. Watkins

Dr. Julian L. Watkins joined the Health Department in 2017 as Physician in Charge of the Riverside Sexual Health Clinic and continued in this role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Watkins also participated in the Health Department’s COVID-19 response efforts, including by helping stand up the NYC Test and Trace Corps, supporting the NYC Provider Access Line, serving as medical advisor to the Incident Commander, and facilitating tailored engagement with provider and community groups to promote COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Watkins transitioned to the Health Department’s Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness in 2021 as a Health Equity Advisor and has continued to support emergency response activities. Earlier this year, he was named Assistant Commissioner for the Health Department’s Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building, became a Climate Health Equity Fellow with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and completed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Leaders Program. He is a health equity theorist, writer, lecturer, and community organizer.

Dr. Watkins earned his MD from Howard University College of Medicine and his BS in Biology from Oakwood University. He has dedicated his practice to cultivating a culture of health that promotes humane regard for communities and the environment that is ready to respond to the diverse needs of the 21st century and beyond.

About Carolyn Rhodebeck

Carolyn Rhodebeck joined the Health Department’s Public Health Laboratory in 2018. During the Health Department’s COVID-19 response, Carolyn helped to set up the first COVID-19 testing site, provided administrative support for the Surveillance and Epidemiology unit, coordinated operations at vaccine sites, and served as a Deputy Lead for the Immunization Justice Work Group, which offered support and created spaces for Health Department staff to voice their concerns around COVID-19. Currently, Carolyn serves as the SURRG Epidemiology Coordinator for the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections and participates in various equity and social justice work groups at the Health Department. Prior to the Health Department, Carolyn worked on global multi-drug resistant tuberculosis programs with the U.S. Agency for International Development and malaria prevention and control programs in Tanzania during her service in the Peace Corps

Carolyn earned her MPH with a concentration in Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University and her BS in Microbiology and Biology at Indiana University, Bloomington.

For more information about the de Beaumont Foundation’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health, including a full list of honorees, visit the de Beaumont website.

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