PUBLIC HEALTH CASE COMPETITION
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Final Round Judges
Meet our Final Round Judges—a panel of accomplished public health leaders with deep experience in research, policy, and community impact. Each judge brings a proven record of advancing health solutions that make a difference. Their expertise will guide the selection of a winning team whose ideas are both innovative and practical.
Sommer Kleweno Walley, MHA, MA, CCC-SLP
Chief Executive Officer of Harborview Medical Center & Associate Vice President of
Medical Affairs at University of Washington
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Sommer Kleweno Walley is Chief Executive Officer of Harborview Medical Center and Associate Vice President of Medical Affairs at the University of Washington, with more than 25 years of frontline and leadership experience. She began her career at Harborview in 1997 as a speech pathologist and joined the executive team in 2017, serving as interim CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic before being appointed permanently in 2021. She holds master’s degrees from Washington State University and the University of Washington and serves on the boards of America’s Essential Hospitals, the Trauma Center Association of America, and the Washington State Hospital Association
Dennis Worsham
Secretary of Health, Washington State Department
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Dennis Worsham is a collaborative and strategic leader with more than 32 years of public health experience, currently serving as Secretary of the Washington State Department of Health. He has held numerous state and local leadership roles, including Director of Snohomish County’s Public Health Department, Deputy Secretary for Health at DOH, and Interim Director of Public Health–Seattle & King County, with experience spanning policy, community partnerships, and communicable disease control. A Washington native, his leadership is grounded in community connection, equity, and listening to lived experience, and he is committed to strengthening public health systems and addressing systemic inequities across the state.
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Dave Pearson
Chief Executive Officer, Washington Association for Community Health
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Dave brings extensive experience in healthcare policy, advocacy, and association management, with a strong commitment to the mission of community health centers. He previously served as the American Hospital Association Regional Executive in Austin, Texas, leading rural and community hospital organizations and representing hospitals across four states. He holds a BS in Healthcare Administration and an MPA from Texas State University and is a Fellow and Board-Certified member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
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Dr. Faisal Khan
Director, Public Health — Seattle & King County
A physician-epidemiologist with over two decades of global experience in communicable disease control, Dr. Khan has led public health initiatives across six countries, focusing on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and the social determinants of health. Known for transforming traditional health departments into data-driven, community-centered agencies, Dr. Khan continues to advance equitable and effective public health systems.
Dr. Ryan Moran
Director, Washington State Health Care Authority
Appointed by Governor Bob Ferguson, Ryan leads the Washington State Health Care Authority, advancing statewide strategies to improve health outcomes. He previously served as Maryland’s Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing and Medicaid Director. His career centers on expanding access, equity, and innovation in healthcare.
Caitlin Safford
Senior Policy Advisor, Washington State Public Health Association
Caitlin Safford is a healthcare policy leader with over 15 years of experience specializing in Medicaid programs and translating state and federal policy into practice across health systems. She has held key roles including Senior Policy Director at the Washington State Hospital Association and Chief of Staff at Wellpoint Washington, leading strategic initiatives in hospital relations, behavioral health, and Medicaid implementation. She holds a Master’s in Health Administration and a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington and brings strong expertise in public speaking, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.
Our First Round Judges
Meet our First Round Judges—a panel of experienced public health professionals, researchers, and community leaders from across the region. They will evaluate each team’s approach for clarity, feasibility, and real-world impact. Their diverse expertise ensures every proposal is reviewed with both scientific rigor and a practical public health lens.
Mx. Genya Shimkin
Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine and School of Public Health
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Mx. Genya Shimkin is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and School of Public Health, where they develop and teach curriculum focused on health justice, community collaboration, and anti-oppression frameworks. They are the Founder and CEO of Q Card Project, LLC, providing advocacy tools and training for LGBTQ+ youth and healthcare providers. Genya holds a BA from Bard College and an MPH in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice from the University of Washington.
Kristina Alnajjar
Chief Operating Officer, Washington Association for Community Health
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Kristina Alnajjar is the Chief Operating Officer at the Washington Association for Community Health in Olympia, Washington. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business from Gonzaga University and a master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina. Kristina has led diverse teams, improved complex systems, and delivered on initiatives that support community and population health. She values collaboration and creative problem-solving and is committed to helping teams grow and reach their full potential.
Maralyssa Bann, MD
Physician
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Maralyssa Bann, MD is an Internal Medicine physician at Harborview Medical Center and an Associate Professor in the University of Washington Department of Medicine. Her work centers on equity, justice, and patient-centered care, with research and advocacy focused on U.S. safety-net hospitals, and she has served in leadership roles in hospital medicine at Harborview. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine and teaches undergraduate courses on the U.S. healthcare system and equitable health policy.
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Dr. Christine Rousseau
Life Science Executive
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Dr. Christine Rousseau is a life sciences executive with over 20 years of global experience advancing biotechnology innovation. She currently serves as Senior Advisor for Valhalla’s Medical Research and Talent program, guiding investment strategy for multiple sclerosis and related autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Previously, she held senior roles at the American Society for Microbiology, Chembio Diagnostics Systems, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she built major partnerships and directed over $250M in diagnostic technology investments.
Dr. Irene Mukui
Physician
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Dr. Irene Mukui is a Kenyan physician and global health expert with over 20 years of experience expanding access to quality healthcare in resource-limited settings. She has held senior national and global leadership roles, including leading Kenya’s HIV care and treatment program, heading the national rollout of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and serving as Head of HIV at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative. She has contributed to multiple WHO technical working groups, serves on the Global Fund Technical Review Panel, and is currently a PhD candidate in Global Health–Implementation Science at the University of Washington.
Our Mentors
Our mentors are experienced public health professionals who guide teams throughout the competition. They offer practical advice and feedback to help refine each team’s approach. Their expertise helps students turn strong ideas into effective, real-world solutions.
Dr. Peter Ehrenkranz, MD, MPH
Public Health Physician
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Dr. Peter Ehrenkranz is a public health physician with two decades of experience expanding access to quality healthcare in resource-limited settings. He spent ten years at the Gates Foundation leading global HIV programs and supporting the COVID-19 response in Washington State. Previously, he held leadership roles with the CDC and Clinton Health Access Initiative in Africa, focusing on HIV and tuberculosis care and health system strengthening.
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Dr. Stephanie Farquhar
Professor, Health Systems and Population Health
Director, COPHP Program
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Dr. Farquhar is a Professor, Associate Dean, and Director of the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) MPH Program at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research uses community-based participatory approaches to advance social and environmental equity, with leadership on NIH-, NIEHS-, and RWJF-funded projects focused on farmworker health, housing redevelopment, and environmental exposures. She has served in national and local leadership roles, including President of Community-Campus Partnerships for Health and commissioner on the Sustainable Development Commission, and teaches PHI 513: Analytic Methods II.
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Marguerite J. Ro, DrPH
WA State Director, AARP
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Marguerite Ro is a public health leader focused on advancing health equity through policy, data, and community partnerships. She serves as State Director for AARP Washington after more than a decade at Public Health–Seattle & King County, where she led major initiatives in policy, chronic disease prevention, and equity-centered COVID-19 response. She holds a DrPH and MPH in Health Policy & Management from Johns Hopkins University and received the 2018 Washington State Public Health Association Public Health Leadership Award.
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Brianna Steere, MHA
Policy Advisor, WSALPHO
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​Brianna Steere is a Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) Policy Advisor for Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO). In this role, she advocates for the needs of Washington’s 35 local health departments and helps operationalize FPHS throughout Washington’s governmental public health system.​
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Dafeng Xu
Assistant Professor, University of Washington
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​Dafeng Xu is an assistant professor at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. His research interests include the effects of the built environment on social, economic, and health outcomes, marginalized groups' well-being, infrastructure planning, sustainable transportation, and the use of data science in social science research.
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Dr. Kata Mucha
Assistant Teaching Professor
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Dr. Kata Mucha is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Dept Global Health. Dr. Mucha holds a PhD in Anthropology and an MPH in Family and Community Health from Harvard University and is dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and advising students pursuing public health careers. Her work focuses on health inequities, creating culturally grounded programs for immigrant, minority, and underrepresented communities in global health contexts, addressing local health issues through global perspectives.
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Eli Kern
Epidemiologist
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Eli Kern is an Epidemiologist with Public Health – Seattle & King County and a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health at the University of Washington. In his role as epidemiologist with the local public health department, Eli focuses primarily on expanding the core public health functions of assessment, monitoring and evaluation to include cross-sector health and social data systems, with one use case being the inclusion of integrated data in the response to the opioid epidemic. Eli has expertise in sharing, linkage and analysis of cross-sector health and social services data for public health surveillance, program monitoring, evaluation, and research.
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Michael Marchand
Founder
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Michael Marchand, Founder and Principal of Marchand Group LLC, is a nationally recognized leader in launching initiatives and products across technology, branding, communications, and stakeholder engagement. He previously held leadership roles spanning startups, government, and nonprofits, including serving as deputy commissioner for Washington state’s Insurance Commissioner and as chief marketing officer for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Earlier in his career, he helped launch major healthcare and technology initiatives through roles at Microsoft, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and multiple early dot-com startups. Michael holds a BA in government from Franklin & Marshall College, studied behavioral economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and is an accomplished endurance runner.
Jeff Ketchel
Director, Public Health Systems at the Washington State Department of Health
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Jeff Ketchel is the Director of Public Health Systems at the Washington State Department of Health. He has led multiple local health districts and the Washington State Public Health Association, with extensive experience in statewide public health leadership. A graduate of Harvard’s National Preparedness Leadership Institute and the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute, Jeff holds an MA in Policy Studies from the University of Washington.
Megan Moore
Executive Director, Washington State Public Health Association
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Megan Moore joined the Washington State Public Health Association as Executive Director in 2023 after serving three years on the WSPHA Board of Directors as Policy Chair. She brings broad experience from both the private sector and governmental public health at the local and state levels, along with a decade of work in physical therapy and rehabilitation, and holds a BS in Exercise Science and a Master of Public Health from Bastyr University. As a mother, she prioritizes restructuring systems to reduce barriers for