The past 21 months, perhaps more than any time in memory, have taught us the importance of relationships and collaboration. At the Quality Institute, we value our relationships with our members and others committed to our mission to advance health care safety, quality, and affordability for everyone. Much work remains ahead, especially in our efforts to improve our health care and public health systems. To strengthen our impact, we recently hired two new policy and community health associates who I am thrilled to introduce: Armonie Pierre-Jacques and Katie Bisaha. These two professionals are passionate about our mission, and I know they will contribute to the critical work ahead:

Armonie Pierre-Jacques supports the Quality Institute’s work on health policy, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health initiatives and reproductive health access. She is also working with mayors and volunteers across New Jersey to advance our Conversation of Your Life (COYL) program on advance care planning and other Mayors Wellness Campaign (MWC) programs to improve overall health and wellness in New Jersey communities.

Armonie earned a master’s degree in Public Health from Drexel University with a focus on improving health outcomes for diverse populations. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in public health from The College of New Jersey. Her experience includes work as a research assistant in the department of Community Health and Prevention at Drexel University. She also worked on UNICEF-funded global health projects that supported the Sudan Free of Female Genital Cutting program. Her research includes work on vaccine hesitancy with North Philadelphia’s WIC office.

Katie Bisaha also will to be working to advance COYL and the MWC. Katie supports the 15 county COYL task forces, which include more than 500 volunteers engaging residents in crucial conversation around advance care planning. She focuses on expanding COYL programming so residents of all cultures and backgrounds have the tools they need to make informed decisions about the care they receive at the end of their lives. Through the MWC, Katie works closely with mayors, local public health officers, other community leaders and residents to improve overall health and wellness in New Jersey towns and cities.

Katie brings a range of public health experience and education to her work at the Quality Institute. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science from Montclair State University. As a nutrition educator at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Katie provided nutrition education and supported policy efforts across the lifespan. Through an initiative called the Stronger Together program, she worked to provide resources, recreational activities, and educational programming to children and families with special needs at the Greenway Family Success Center in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Most recently, she led the Health and Wellness Coalition of Union County’s prevention efforts to reduce the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol.

We are thrilled to have Armonie and Katie join our growing Quality Institute family and hope you can meet them sometime in 2022.