About Us

Strategic Priorities for 2022-2027

Select exemplary student work from NYU for publication
Update the journal’s website monthly with internship/conference/career development opportunities
Collect relevant news articles and journal publications to update website with recent developments in the field
Strengthen the knowledge and skills of the journal’s editorial team
Promote evidence-based practices in public health disaster management and among NYU GPH students
Create an inclusive and empowering academic and professional space for discussions and exchange of knowledge

Copyright and Authors’ Rights

The NYU GPH Journal of Public Health Disasters respects the rights of all authors who possess the copyright of their work. All works in this journal appear with the consent of the authors or copyright holders.

Faculty Editors-in-Chief

Dr. Robyn Gershon

Dr. Gershon is an interdisciplinary occupational and environmental health and safety researcher with extensive experience in the areas of disaster preparedness, healthcare safety, and risk assessment and management in high-risk work occupations. She earned her doctorate in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health, where she was on faculty for several years. Click here to view her website

Dr. Alexis Merdjanoff

Dr. Alexis Merdjanoff is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioral Sciences at New York University’s School of Global Public Health. Trained as a sociologist, the goal of her research is to understand the factors that shape the preparedness, recovery, and resilience of individuals and communities exposed to acute disasters, including floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, as well as slow-onset climate disasters such as sea-level rise and coastal erosion.

Jamie Epstein

Jamie is a second year student receiving a Master of Public Health at New York University in the Environmental Public Health Sciences Concentration. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Public Health from NYU, and a background in writing and editing. Jamie is interested in protecting the public from environmental hazards, disaster response, and communication tactics throughout the public health field. In her free time, Jamie enjoys doing ceramics, reading Stephen King, and playing with her cats.

Student Editors

Maya Caple

Maya Angelina Caple is a first year graduate student at New York University in their School of Global Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Science and Practice. She is from the San Francisco Bay Area and is on the pre-medical track. Her goal is to one day become a physician, working towards not only fixing immediate health concerns, but to overtime contribute to dismantling health disparities, especially in people of color. Outside of being a student at NYU, she works at Stanford University School of Medicine, as a Clinical Research Coordinator for a COVID-19 study. Being a former collegiate athlete, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her Doberman Pinscher, Neptune. Maya is interested in researching health equity and access in the realm of public health disasters.

Justin Goldberg

Justin will be going into his senior year at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York. Justin has a deep interest in public health, policy, and global diplomacy. Justin is involved in research, Model United Nations, and his school newspaper. Additionally, Justin volunteers as an EMT for his local EMS agency located in Mount Kisco, New York. Justin hopes to continue his studies in public health and policy in the future.

Sarah Ortega

Sarah Ortega is a graduate of the NYU School of Global Public Health, having earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Environmental Public Health. She will be applying to Ph.D programs in the summer and fall of 2024. She earned her B.S. in biomedical sciences and B.A. in cinema studies at the University of Central Florida. Her interests include biomedical research and natural disaster prevention and response. In her free time she enjoys going to theme parks, hiking, and animal advocacy.

Sara Merken

Sara is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Health at NYU’s School of Global Public Health, with a concentration in Global Health. She has been a legal journalist since receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, and a minor in International Affairs, from the George Washington University in 2017. With the Journal of Public Health Disasters, Sara is developing a section focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues associated with disaster events, in particular climate change-related events.

Diya Mehta

Diya is a graduate student receiving her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health at NYU’s School of Global Public Health. She is from Chicago, IL and has a Bachelor of Science in Global Health from Georgetown University with a premed background. Diya’s goal is to provide clinical work in vulnerable populations to minimize the disparities and gaps across the realm of public health. Outside of that, Diya loves photography, running, and trying new things!

Contact Us

NYU School of Global Public Health

708 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-992-674

If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, please contact our editorial team at jphd@nyu.edu.