Exploring Industries Through Speed Networking

Lorna Barungi Muhirwe, PhD, MPH is a public health practitioner, independent researcher, and health systems leader with over 20 years of experience working at national, district, and community levels in Uganda. She holds a PhD in Health Services Leadership and a master’s degree in Public Health, with extensive experience in both development and humanitarian settings.

Currently serving as Country Director for OneWorld Health Uganda, she oversees multi-site service delivery operations, advancing equitable access to quality care while building resilient, sustainable health institutions.

Meredith Brantley leads implementation science for AstraZeneca’s US biopharmaceutical medical affairs teams, with a focus on policy evidence. Prior to joining AstraZeneca in 2022, Meredith led strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of federal and state government public health programs through positions with the HHS Office of Infectious Disease Policy, CDC Division of Viral Hepatitis, HRSA Bureau of HIV/AIDS Division, and the Tennessee Department of Health.

Meredith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan, a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from Emory University, and a Doctorate in Behavioral Science from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Camelia Graham is a senior epidemiologist and principal investigator specializing in real-world evidence (RWE) and pharmacoepidemiology. With 25 years of experience in industry, government, and academic research, she designs and implements regulatory-grade RWE studies, including natural history studies, external comparator arms, safety evaluations, and treatment pattern analyses.

Before joining Walgreens, Dr. Graham held Principal positions at Parexel and IQVIA, where she led RWE projects in the United States and Europe, and successfully facilitated submissions to the FDA and EMA across various therapeutic areas, including oncology, neurology, and infectious diseases. Dr. Graham's background also includes overseeing public health programs, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and delivering presentations on treatments for chronic and infectious diseases, medical devices, and the impact of environmental factors, such as one’s neighborhood, on health outcomes.

Dr. Graham earned her PhD in Drug Dependence Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2010. 

CDR Jennifer Harlos has been a nurse for 18 years and commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in 2015. She holds a bachelor’s in nursing from Brigham Young University and a graduate certificate in global health from Uniformed Services University. She graduated with her master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University in 2024, where she was a Bloomberg Fellow in Addiction and Overdose. 

CDR Harlos is currently a clinical quality analyst at Alaska Native Medical Center, where she combines data and quality leadership skills with clinical expertise to improve patient care and population outcomes. She has spent most of her career in maternal newborn nursing, serving in various roles in quality, education, management, and direct patient care. 

As a Public Health Service officer, CDR Harlos has deployed for public health emergencies and community health needs. She currently serves as the cochair of Alaska’s Maternal Death Review Committee. Jennifer has been a consultant, speaker, and teacher on best maternal care practices nationally.  She is a passionate advocate for healthcare worker wellbeing and enjoys mentoring and supporting frontline nurses, Public Health Service officers, and students. 

Martha is a pharmaceutical doctor, vaccine scientist and Pharmacovigilance enthusiast. She received her MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2020. While at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, she also pursued certificates in Vaccine Science, courses in Clinical trials and Pharmacoepidemiology. She currently works in industry as a vaccine safety specialist.

Her hobbies include travel, reading and trying out interesting recipes.

Gracia Mahoney is an associate in Equity Research on the US Medical Technology and Devices team at Bank of America. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University and a MSPH in Health Policy from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is based in New York. Prior to receiving her graduate degree she worked in BofA's Global Investment Strategy group under Michael Hartnett.

Walter Straus serves as Vice President in Clinical Safety and Risk Management at the biotechnology firm, Moderna, where he oversaw  its COVID-19 vaccine safety program during the pandemic. He is a physician and epidemiologist with more than 30 years of combined experience in research in government and industry. 

Dr. Straus was an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer then on permanent staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta). He then worked for >20 years at Merck & Co. Inc. where he led teams supporting the development and or post-authorization assessment of numerous small molecules and vaccines. He is former Chairman of the Board of Public Responsibility in Medical and Research, has served on the Executive Board of the Harvard Multi-Regional Clinical Trials program (MRCT), and on the US HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection (SACHRP). He has contributed as member of several WHO/CIOMS initiatives, including the Working Groups on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Active Vaccine Safety Surveillance, and most recently the Working Group XIV – Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacovigilance.

Dr. Jennifer Tan brings two decades of experience leading strategic and operational initiatives across healthcare, media, international development, and financial services. Her career includes improving supply chain efficiency for hospitals across the country; designing social and behavior change strategies for advancing health in conflict-affected regions; and most recently, leading competitive strategy for a global bank.  While her work has spanned sectors and continents, Dr. Tan’s enduring passion is domestic violence prevention—a mission that has led her to pursue a Doctor of Public Health program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a focus on domestic violence, technology, and housing.

Ask her about career transitions; topics such as domestic violence, housing and basic AI applications; leading teams; and entrepreneurship.