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Editors from some of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world recently convened at Washington University to explore diversity, equity, and inclusion in scientific publishing. 

​Co-hosted by the Brown School and the American Journal of Public Health and sponsored by the Robert W​ood Johnson Foundation, the meeting drew nearly 30 editors from publications including JAMA, Nature, PLoS ONE, and The Lancet. ​

The group met to discuss ways to improve racial equity in editorial practices. To that end, they reviewed literature and collected data in order to identify the metrics, pathways, and practices that could be incorporated to create guidelines for the scientific publication process.

“We are brainstorming what each journal is doing and what we can do together,” explained Rodrigo Reis, professor and interim co-dean of the Brown School. Ross Brownson, the Brown School’s Steven H. and Susan U. Lipstein Distinguished Professor, who is associate e​ditor of the Annual Review of Public Health, was also in attendance.

The editors used three guiding questions as their framework:

Alfredo Morabia, editor-in-chief of the American Journ​al of Public Health summed up the focus of the session by saying, “We’re understanding what we do right. What are our biases, and how we can correct that?” He added, “If there are some elements that exclude people from publication in journals, we want to know how and what is the evidence.”

Morabia expressed optimism that guidelines would be in place by the end of 2024. ​

The Brown School’s public health program continues to distinguish itself in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings. The program rose to No. 17 in the public health program rankings for 2023-2024; the only program among a field of public health schools in the Top 20.

“We are especially pleased and proud to move up again in the U.S. News and World Report rankings,” said Tonya Edmond and Rodrigo Reis, interim co-deans of the Brown School. “This rise reflects the outstanding work of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni, our continued commitment to developing outstanding scholarship focused on policy and practice impact, high-quality student experience, and the national and international prominence of our academic programs. We are delighted that our national peers have expressed such esteem for the quality of our public health program.”

This accomplishment comes at an exciting time as Washington University is laying the foundation for a new era of public health, with the creation of a School of Public Health.

Jia Lian Yang (she/they), a Brown School alum, MSW ’16, and director of storytelling and communications for Forward Through Ferguson​, will be the featured speaker for the Brown School Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 13. ​Additionally, the Brown School ceremony will include a student speaker –​ MSW candidate Kasey Springsteen (she/they), who was selected after submission of a topic essay and an interview with a School community committee. 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​About the Speakers

Jia Lian Yang, Storytelling & Communications, Forward Through Ferguson​​

​In a world where stories are essential to shaping our perspectives, Jia Lian Yang (she/they) is amplifying voices working towards Racial Equity and the stories of people most impacted by racism. Yang currently serves as the Director of Storytelling & Communications at Forward Through Ferguson​, an anti-racist systems change organization that is charting a path toward racial equity across the St. Louis region.

At Forward Through Ferguson, Yang’s work includes managing data storytelling initiatives such as #Transforming911, which aims to reimagine public safety services, and crafting narratives around grassroots efforts to advance Justice For All.

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Yang received a Master of Social Work from the Brown School in 2016. Additionally, they hold a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary.

Before joining Forward Through Ferguson, Yang served as co-host and lead producer of St. Louis Public Radio’s We Live Here podcast, which explores issues of race and class in the St. Louis region. She also co-founded and co-hosted Who Raised You? Podcast, a show that focused on issues of culture, family, and intersecting identities.

Yang is committed to building real and trusting relationships, which they believe are the first step toward building power for systemic change.

Kasey Springsteen, MSW Candidate​ ’23 ​​

For Kasey Springsteen​ (she/they), growing up in Iowa – the first state to caucus every four years – made for a unique upbringing. Springsteen grew up talking politics and running into presidential hopefuls at the local coffee shop. Naturally, this experience led Springsteen to be interested in how people are affected by the systems they inhabit and empowering people to change them.

While earning a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Political Communication and English from Drake University in Des Moines, Springsteen worked for The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement. Springsteen volunteered on political campaigns, and was a sexual assault and domestic violence peer advocate for Drake University through Polk County.

Since arriving at the Brown School, Springsteen has worked with undergraduate students as a graduate fellow in the Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program. In that role, Springsteen has found a love for working with young people – empowering them to succeed in their academic and professional careers and challenging them to be well, kind, and compassionate people.

Springsteen completed three practicums – one with the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, one with the Office of Scholar Programs at WashU, and the other with A Red Circle​, a Black-owned nonprofit urban farming organization. Outside of their academic pursuits, Springsteen is in leadership at Trader Joe’s and has enjoyed learning more about St. Louis outside of the context of her education. Springsteen appreciates leading people from all backgrounds and learning new things about food and community every day.

Springsteen is an avid music, book, and food lover. Their personal mission centers on empowering people to reflect and share their own stories to build a community that celebrates individuality. They are committed to joy as a practice and rebuilding our capacity to play.​

​​​​About the Student Marshals​

The marshals, who carry the banners of their respective programs during the Brown School Recognition processional and recessional, were selected according to their commitment to scholarship and the Brown School community. ​

Marshals for 2023 will be:

Learn more about the 2023 student marshals​.​​​​

​The Brown School Recognition Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 13, at 5:00 p.m. at the Field House within the Athletic Complex of Washington University. It precedes the University’s 162th Commencement Ceremony, which will begin at 9:00 a.m. Monday, May 15, on Francis Olympic Field on the Danforth Campus. 

Learn more about Commencement 2023 at the Brown School.

Four exemplary Brown School students have been chosen to represent their class as Brown School Marshals for 2023: Selection is an honor. Students are nominated by faculty and other students for commitment to their scholarship, passion in their practica, and contributions to the school community.

Traditionally, student marshals have been tasked with carrying the degree banners and leading their respective classes into the Brown School Recognition Ceremony.​

Ahead of the big day, the student marshals reflect on their journeys and share their favorite memories of the Brown School and what comes next for these changemakers.​​​

Find more information on this year’s Brown School Ceremony on the  ​2023 Commen​cement page.

Master of Social Work Marshal: Connie Flachs​​
​​Concentration: Mental Health

Connie Flachs believes positive impact comes through connection – to oneself, to others, and to the communities we live in. Her belief was reflected in her activities during her time at the Brown School.

At WashU, Flachs was a mentee and mentor of Peer2Peer Program. Outside of the university, she was involved with several organizations including the Jewish Community Relations Council, Big Muddy Dance Company, and Seed St. Louis.

She completed practica with two organizations: the WashU School of Medicine in a psychiatry lab focused on eating disorders research, and the St. Louis VA on the Suicide Prevention Team.

She’ll miss the beauty of the campus and the comradery with her classmates.

“I’ll miss the gorgeous campus and all the native plant landscaping! It was such a treat to watch the campus shift throughout the seasons. I’ll also miss the regular and serendipitous contact with my peers and getting to learn about their interests and passions.”

When asked who at the Brown School she would like to thank, Flachs struggled to distill her gratitude but singled out PhD student and TA Christopher Weatherly for his humor, career advice, and thoughtfulness, and Lecturer Molly Pearson for their liberatory approach to social work and commitment to providing high-quality classroom experiences.

She added: “And, obviously, a huge thanks to my friends at the Brown school who listened to countless hours of venting, shared meals, co-worked, and went through this journey alongside me.”

After graduation, Flachs plans to stay in St. Louis and work as a program coordinator for Body U Teens, a new program that will harness technology and community partnerships to increase access to care for young people in Missouri with eating disorders.

Master of Public Health Marshal: Tremayne Watterson
Specialization: Epidemiology/ Biostatistics

Tremayne Watterson is passionate about data analysis and collection and helping marginalized populations. His post-graduation plans involve a move to Charlotte, North Carolina, and a goal of further developing his data skills to make a positive impact. 

“My goal is to use the skills that I have developed and cultivated here at the Brown School to put data beside the real-life stories of the people that are most marginalized in our communities,” he said. 

During his time at the Brown School, Watterson worked as a research clinical coordinator in the Division of Infectious Diseases at WashU’s School of Medicine. He was also a policy scholar and a member of Mi Gente, a Latine student group at the Brown School. Connections with classmates is what he will miss most about his time at the Brown School. 

“My classmates brought such a varied range of lived experiences, dreams, and ideas that really furthered my growth as not only a student but as a person,” he said.​

Master of Social Policy Marshal: Jin Lyu

On the cusp of 40, Jin Lyu left her work in Shanghai, China, to pursue a new adventure as a master of social policy student at the Brown School. She is thankful for the support she received as she navigated being separated from her family, adjusting to a new culture and language, balancing her studies, and caring for her eight-year-old son on her own, as her husband remained in Shanghai.

“It’s not always easy to admit vulnerability, but the Brown School community made it possible for me to ask for help without feeling ashamed or awkward. The faculty, staff, and classmates tried their best to make me feel comfortable.”

In particular, she was impressed with the outreach and understanding shown to her eight-year-old son, who occasionally accompanied her to class, and waited outside the classroom.

“The Brown School community welcomed him with open arms,” she said. “My classmates came to say hi to him, brought snacks and candies to him, and offered us a ride after night class. The inclusive and supportive environment of the Brown School community, which embraced me and my son wholeheartedly, is the most unforgettable memory that I will always treasure and miss deeply.”

During her time at the Brown School, Lyu was the MSP representative on the Student Coordinating Council (SCC).

After graduation, Lyu will return to China for a summer internship. Afterward, she plans on returning to the Brown School and continuing her studies as an MSW/MSP dual degree program student with a focus on mental health.

Lyu is grateful for everyone who formed her graduate school experience: “Professors and advisors who spent time helping me, who encouraged me to start with “Baby Step”, who told me it’s strong instead of weak to show my vulnerability with hugs.” Additionally, she is thankful to her classmates who, “rushed to me after class to tell me that I had done a very good job, who paused in the group discussion to ask me if we were on the same page—I love you all.”​​

Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health Dual Degree Marshal: Mara McKown
MSW-Health Concentration and MPH-Epidemiology and Biostatistics Specialization 

​The Brown School experience has Mara McKown thinking about how structures and systems affect health and exploring social epidemiology. 

A native Californian, Mara completed practicums with the following organizations: Epworth’s Youth Emergency Shelter, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global Health Center, and St. Louis Integrated Health Network. 

While at the Brown School, Mara did research with both the Social System Design Lab under its director and Assistant Professor of Practice Ellis Ballard, and the Global Research on Inclusion and Disability team with Associate Professor Jean-Francois Trani. Mara also served as the Dual Degree representative on the Brown School Student Coordinating Council (SCC) and as one of the lead mentors for the Peer-to-Peer mentoring program. 

“I think what I will miss most is being in a space with friends as we all explore our interests and have conversations about topics that interest us. Also, just all the amazing supportive people I have met and get to call friends,” Mara said. 

Mara would like to thank all the other dual MPH/MSW students: “I would not have made it here without you all.” Mara would also like to thank all those who gave little daily bits of encouragement, especially during the past year.​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The 40th annual Brown School Awards of Distinction were presented April 13 at City Foundry STL. The event honored e​ight extraordinary changemakers who work t​o create positive change for people around the globe.

The honorees were recognized for their tirel​ess commitment, innovation and strong leadership in working to improve society’s most urgent issues.

Hear Their Stories

Kersha Deibel, MSW/MPH ’11​
President​​ & ​CEO, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Regio​n

​Kersha Deibel, is the President & CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region. Prior to joining the Southwest Ohio team, Deibel spent over eight years leading and organizing with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund in Washington, D.C. There, she led the team to run winning electoral campaigns that centered the lived experiences of BIPOC communities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, young people, and patient advocates at the local, state, and federal levels. She has served, in the past, as the President of the DC Abortion Fund. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the National Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Community Shares. 

Steven Hayworth, MPH ’17
Director of Population Health, University of Utah Health

​​​​​​Steven Hayworth is the Director of Population Health at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, Utah. While pursuing his Masters in Public Health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, Hayworth interned at BJC HealthCare’s Center for Clinical Excellence. There he discovered his passion for health system science, community impact, and healthcare innovation – leveraging public health principles in healthcare industry. After graduating in 2017, Hayworth joined the University of Utah Medical Group as the inaugural Administrative Fellow. During his fellowship, he learned from and worked alongside executive and senior leadership teams to develop health system initiatives like the Destination Care Programs, Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring Integration Evaluation, and a Population Health System Strategy.

Zhen Zhang, MSW ’16 
General Secretary, Rici Foundation

​Zhen Zhang is the secretary general of the Rici Foundation. She earned a Master of Social Work from the Brown School in 2016 before returning to China to support mental health initiatives. She has over seven years of experience in the field of mental health support for rural children, and has launched several of Rici’s brand programs; Ignite Project in 2016 and Flourishing Magic School in 2017. Through these programs, Rici has been able to engage over 10,000 volunteers and local teachers to deliver social-e​motional learning courses to nearly 540,000 rural children around China. The success of these projects has been recognized by many organizations.

Margaret Clancy, MSW ’97​ 
​Policy Director, Center for Social Development, Brown School, Washington University​​

​​​​Margaret M. Clancy is the Policy Director and College Savings Initiative Director at the Center for Social Development (CSD) at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Clancy is responsible for the design and leadership of large-scale policy demonstrations, including SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK), a rigorous test of Child Development Accounts (CDAs), and one of the longest-running social experiments in the country. She is a primary architect of the policy structure tested in the SEED OK experiment, the results of which have informed CDA policy in U.S. states, cities,​ and in several other countries. As a direct result of the work that she has led for more than two decades; millions of children in the United States have a CDA for postsecondary education. 

​Mingguo Deng, MSW ’08​ 
​President, Chongqing City Management College​

​​​​Before starting his MSW, Mingguo Deng worked as a child welfare worker for more than 10 years. After graduating from Brown School in 2008, he returned to China to serve as the president of the Chongqing Psychiatric Hospital. He continually strove to better the lives of patients, trying his best to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of patients and improve their living conditions. He presided over the drafting of the National Mental Health Social Welfare Organization Fundamental Norms, which promoted the sustained and healthy development of the mental health and social work profession. Deng took the lead in exploring social work services in the field of mental health, promoting the establishment of the first social work agency with professional services in Chongqing, and establishing the first foundation dedicated to helping people with mental disorders through integrating medical institutions, social organizations, and community resources.

Anneliese Stoever, MSW ’03​ 
Director, St Louis Area Agency of Aging​

​Anneliese Stoever is the Director of the St Louis Area Agency on Aging and supervises staff, develops programs, writes grants, monitors services, and leads several community project initiatives. Stoever started working at the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging in 2005 as the Information and Assistance Coordinator and participated in organizing the VillAGE of Many Colors, helped gather 800+ older adults annually to celebrate Older Americans Month at the Spring Jubilee, and gave presentations to thousands of older adults to talk with them about services. Under the mentorship of David Sykora, Stoever then transitioned to the Community Programs Manager where she helped monitor services and write grants to fund programs provided by the group of non-profit agencies that serve older adults living in the City of St. Louis. Stoever has supervised over 50 MSW students and points to their energy, creativity, and hard work ethic as a highlight in her career. 

Paul, BSBA ’90 JD ’94, and Nancy Parker Tice, AB ’90 MBA ‘ 98​

​Paul Tice BSBA ’90 JD ’94 
Paul Tice has volunteered for a wide range of nonprofits in St. Louis over the past 30 years. Currently, Tice is Vice Chair of Lutheran Senior Services, volunteers for the St. Louis County Board of Elections as an election judge and is a member of the National Council for the Brown School at Washington University. Previously, he was on the board of Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri, board member and longtime volunteer of Promise Community Homes, board chair and member of St. Louis County’s Productive Living Board, board member of Confluence Preparatory Academy, youth basketball director at Immacolata and executive committee member of Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis.

Tice is the founder and Managing Partner of Argos Capital Partners, LLC (ACAP). In his role, he leads a team of twelve investment professionals to service the needs of Argos’ ultra-high net worth families including investment management of over one billion in investment assets. ACAP is a Registered Investment Advisor and invests in a wide range of assets including marketable securities, private equity and real estate. Prior to starting Argos, Tice worked in a single-family office setting working on real estate developments. He also practiced law at Rosenblum, Goldenhersh, and worked at PWC as a tax associate.

Nancy Parker Tice AB ’90 MBA ’94
Nancy Parker Tice has spent her life making communities and organizations stronger. She has a demonstrated history of success in the non-profit sector including financial management, operations, human resources, and fund development. She is a public policy professional skilled in policy development, analysis, and policymaking. Since April 2019 she has served as Alderwoman of Ward 1 in the City of Brentwood. She serves on the Ways and Means and the Public Works Committees of the Board. She pushed the board to enact new ordinances for water run-off during new construction, led the push for park expansion in Ward 1, and is a diligent voice monitoring budget for the Brentwood Bound project.

After college, Tice worked in Washington, D.C. for former Majority Leader Richard Gephardt where she worked with coalitions to negotiate legislation, solved constituent legislative problems, and developed a passion for working to make the community a better place for all. She brought that passion to St. Louis where she was in charge of governmental relations for Washington University School of Medicine for over a decade. In that role, she worked to expand access to health care for children, oversaw the successful passage of physician licensure and Medicaid rate increases at the state level, advocated issues such as expanding medical research funding and Medicare payment policy at the federal level, and coordinated lobbying efforts for the School of Medicine.

She has served on the board of NCCJ since 2004, and in 2022 was the co-chair of SLUH’s Cashbah auction, which raised a record $1.5 million for scholarships allowing the school to conduct need-blind admissions.​​

Learn more about the Awards of Distinction and past recipients​.

Photos: Thomas Malkowicz/Washington University

​​​​​​​When Scovia Nassaazi was 12 years old, her family agreed to participate in a pilot research program led by a U.S. scholar to open savings accounts for children in the small Ugandan towns where they lived.  The account was used to help pay her school fees and encourage savings by her mother, who contributed to the account when she could. Twenty years later, Nassaazi works as a study coordinator for the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), based at the Brown School and led by that same scholar, Fred Ssewamala, the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor. This fall, she will enroll as an MSW student at the Brown School.

“I can say the pilot project began a new chapter in both my life and my family’s life as well,” said Nassaazi, who also heads qualitative interviews and translation for the center.

The success of the pilot also opened a new chapter for ICHAD, which has expanded to secure millions of dollars of grants for its more than 10 research projects and now employs over 60 staff in the U.S., Uganda, and other parts of Africa. This week, Nassaazi traveled to St. Louis as ICHAD celebrates its 10th year of research and training in Uganda and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Over the week of April 10 and the next months, the celebration will bring together scientists, staff, collaborators, partners, students, trainees, and other participants around the globe.

“I am very proud of our research achievements,” said Ssewamala, who brought ICHAD with him in 2017, when he moved to the Brown School from Columbia University. “I’m also proud of the more than 20 African students we have brought to the US for training, and several American students we have offered opportunities to train with us on the African continent, many of whom were being exposed practically for the first time to the issues there.”

Those issues include both poverty and HIV, which was first reported in Uganda and continues to ravage the nation and its children. ICHAD’s most recent projects have studied the impact of child savings accounts and other economic empowerment interventions in Uganda, such as financial literacy and income-generating workshops. The projects include studies of:​

 Ssewamala got the idea of child savings accounts while studying as a graduate student at the Brown School with Michael Sherraden​, George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor, who pioneered the accounts in the U.S. Ssewamala took the idea to Uganda and expanded account-related research to include its impact on mental health and HIV-related outcomes. That connection is noted by Proscovia Nabunya, assistant professor,  a co-director of ICHAD who has been with the center since its beginning in 2004. She was a graduate student in Uganda at the time and Ssewamala hired her as the first project coordinator.

“What stands out is our ability to take this idea and adopt it in a limited resource setting in Uganda.  We’re still doing it,” she said. It’s been particularly striking to see children and families opening bank accounts – previously open only to the rich in Uganda. “Seeing them going to the bank for the first time, it’s always amazing, because it was beyond their expectations and now it’s a reality,” she said. “The money they are saving they are using to pay for school, and start income-generating activity. For someone to have that kind of cushion makes a huge difference. Now they can go to high school, and it’s a stress reliever for parents.” Many go on to become teachers in the community, while others, like Nassaazi, take their education to a higher level. 

The center’s other interventions have focused on strengthening family relationships, communication, support, stressors, and child behavioral health.  “When you support the child, you support the family,” Nabunya said.

The other co-director of ICHAD is Ozge Sensoy Bahar, research assistant professor, who joined the faculty just before Ssewamala came to the Brown School in 2017. “I am really proud of the exponential growth of ICHAD since it came to WashU,” she said. “We’ve reached so many children and families, schools and clinics in Uganda. It’s hard to understand the real impact until you go there and go to a school and see the excitement of children welcoming you or when 40-50 school directors show up to hear about your next project.  That commitment doesn’t happen if your work is not impactful and you are not respectful of the people.”

“We’ve always been committed to mentoring young people, and encouraging their next step in academic education,” she said, noting that ICHAD has structured four training programs funded by the National Institutes of Health, to train the next generation of scholars in global health. 

Impact on people has always been the focus of ICHAD, Ssewamala said. “We address poverty and financial instability head-on through innovative applied research, capacity-building opportunities for a new generation of researchers; raising awareness and influencing public policy. We do not simply work with numbers, but real human beings, who will be directly affected by our work.” 

One of those people is Flavia Namuwonge, a PhD student at the Brown School. She is another mentee of the Center who is coordinating a study assessing economic empowerment intervention in Uganda to determine which of its strategies works best to promote adherence to sustained HIV viral su​ppression among children. She came to the Brown School in 2022, the first time she had lived outside Uganda. “Being in the U.S. had never crossed my mind,” she recalled. She is particularly interested in research that can improve the lives of women in Uganda, where they have traditionally been considered subordinate citizens.​

“This work has opened up opportunities for me to learn finance and, human resources.  It has changed ​my life and the life of my family,” whom she supports financially. “They live a better life and they’re proud of their daughter in the United States.,” she added recalling that upon learning about her opportunity to work and study at the Brown School, her mother said “I’m going to die a happy woman.”  Namuwonge, like many of those whose lives have improved, credits ICHAD and Ssewamala.

“All it brings me is joy,” she said. ​​