Staff Directory

Director, Community Engagement
Trauma-Free NYC, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Wanda Garcia, MPH, LMSW, is a dedicated professional with a passion for fostering meaningful connections and repairing relationships. Born in the Dominican Republic, Wanda's journey led her to New York in the 1970s, where she embarked on a remarkable path of education and service. Wanda's early life experiences in the Dominican Republic laid the foundation for her empathetic nature and cross-cultural awareness. After growing up in Inwood/Washington Heights, she pursued her academic aspirations with determination. Wanda earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Barnard College, demonstrating her commitment to the sciences.

Driven by a desire to understand the complexities of human behavior, Wanda delved into neuropsychology studies at Howard University. Her educational journey then led her to Columbia University, where she obtained both a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Social Work (MSW). These dual degrees equipped her with a unique perspective that integrates psychological, sociological and systemic insights. Wanda’s career has spanned research on HIV, epilepsy, parent-child connections, child development, Alzheimer’s and in the last 14 years she has been part of the team, at Mailman’s Population and Family Health Department, where she has been working with a cohort of BIPOC families who have helped us understand the impacts of prenatal pesticide exposures. Currently, she is the Director of Community Engagement for Trauma-Free NYC and is leading efforts to train public health students, CBO’s and other institutions on Trauma-Informed Care. 

In addition, Wanda's training at the Ackerman Family Institute in family therapy and couples therapy showcases her dedication to expanding her skills. Her professional portfolio reflects her commitment to helping people mend and strengthen their relationships.

Wanda Garcia possesses a deep understanding of the intricate connections between the human body, family dynamics, relationships and the social determinants of health. Her empathy, coupled with her comprehensive academic background, enables her to create a supportive and non-judgmental environment for her clients, the public health students and the community organizations she supports.

Trauma-Free NYC Co-Director

Professor of Population and Family Health

Columbia University Medical Center

Director of Child, Adolescent and Family Health Certificate

Virginia Rauh, ScD, has been a member of Columbia's faculty since 1984 and is Deputy Director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health. Her postdoctoral work in psychiatric epidemiology was supported by NIMH and a career development award from NICHD. Her work focuses on the adverse impact of exposure to air pollutants, including second hand smoke and pesticides on pregnancy and child health, and the susceptibility of individuals and disadvantaged populations to environmental hazards. Dr. Rauh is a perinatal epidemiologist by training, whose expertise is in the area of low birth weight and preterm delivery, particularly with respect to socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority populations. She has been principal investigator on numerous major research projects, including studies of the impact of organophosphorus insecticides and secondhand smoke on child neurodevelopment and brain abnormalities (MRI, fMRI), a randomized intervention trial for low birth weight infants, a multi-site study of lifestyles in pregnancy, a study of developmental outcomes of children born to inner-city adolescent mothers, a multi-level analysis of the impact of Head Start on New York City school children, a study of the effects of ambient air pollutants on pregnant women and their children, and a study of links between race, stressors, and preterm birth. She has worked with other Columbia faculty to study the effects of the World Trade Center disaster on pregnant women and newborns. Dr. Rauh serves on numerous national committees, including advisory groups at NIEHS, NICHD, and the Scientific Advisory Board for the Environmental Protection Agency.Virginia Rauh, ScD, has been a member of Columbia's faculty since 1984 and is Deputy Director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health. Her postdoctoral work in psychiatric epidemiology was supported by NIMH and a career development award from NICHD. Her work focuses on the adverse impact of exposure to air pollutants, including second hand smoke and pesticides on pregnancy and child health, and the susceptibility of individuals and disadvantaged populations to environmental hazards. Dr. Rauh is a perinatal epidemiologist by training, whose expertise is in the area of low birth weight and preterm delivery, particularly with respect to socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority populations. She has been principal investigator on numerous major research projects, including studies of the impact of organophosphorus insecticides and secondhand smoke on child neurodevelopment and brain abnormalities (MRI, fMRI), a randomized intervention trial for low birth weight infants, a multi-site study of lifestyles in pregnancy, a study of developmental outcomes of children born to inner-city adolescent mothers, a multi-level analysis of the impact of Head Start on New York City school children, a study of the effects of ambient air pollutants on pregnant women and their children, and a study of links between race, stressors, and preterm birth. She has worked with other Columbia faculty to study the effects of the World Trade Center disaster on pregnant women and newborns. Dr. Rauh serves on numerous national committees, including advisory groups at NIEHS, NICHD, and the Scientific Advisory Board for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Dr. Sonali Rajan’s research is focused on identifying patterns of risk behaviors among adolescent youth; implementing and evaluating school-based health education programs; and identifying environmental-level characteristics that influence health behaviors among urban youth and communities.  In line with the approach of the “whole child”, her research embraces a comprehensive definition of “health”, recognizing that the synergy between multiple health issues and the surrounding environments together inform long-term outcomes.  For the past several years, Dr. Rajan has worked on the implementation and evaluation of health education and behavioral health initiatives aimed to mitigate youth engagement in high-risk behaviors and promote positive youth development.  She has an emerging line of research in the area of aggression and violence prevention in schools and is focused on supporting efforts aimed at reducing the presence of firearms in K-12 school settings.  

Ms. Yanosy has been a keynote and featured speaker on trauma and organizational culture at both domestic and international conferences and has published extensively on the implementation and impact of trauma responsive practice. Ms. Yanosy’s career has integrated clinical social work, education and administration, which developed her expertise in trauma treatment, program and curriculum development as well as program evaluation and replication. 

She currently serves as Director of Consulting and co-founder of Creating PRESENCE, a trauma responsive training and organizational intervention program. She also teaches at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, provides coaching through service-learning projects for students at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, consults with nonprofit human service organizations and practices psychotherapy in her home state of NY. 

Ms. Yanosy has developed nationally available collegiate leadership programming, and previously served as the founding Director of the Sanctuary Institute.  In her role as Director, Ms. Yanosy oversaw the development, training and implementation of a system-wide, holistic, trauma informed organizational model. The resulting social movement built around this practice grew to over 350 organizations, including residential care, addiction treatment, domestic violence, supportive housing, juvenile justice, hospital, community based and school settings across the United States and seven other countries. 

Ms. Yanosy received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Cornell University and Smith College respectively, and has completed post graduate programs at New York University, Fordham University and Columbia Business School.

Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology

Columbia University

Nim examines brain development underlying emotional behavior in humans. Her research has highlighted fundamental changes in brain circuitry across development and the powerful role that early experiences, such as caregiving and stress, have on the construction of these circuits. She has authored over 80 journal articles and book chapters. She is a frequent lecturer both nationally and internationally on human brain and emotional development.

President, Student Advocate Group
Trauma-Free NYC, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Miho Kawanami is a first-year MPH student in the Department of Epidemiology, with a focus on mental health and the prevention of mental illness across the life course. With an educational background in nursing and public health, her academic and professional experiences have shaped her interests in trauma-informed care, workplace mental health, and health equity.

Miho’s passion for supporting mental health began during her clinical and public health nursing work in Japan, where she witnessed firsthand how childhood experiences, job-related stress, and the stigma surrounding mental illness affected both healthcare professionals and patients. She later joined a Japanese community based organization named Ichikawa Minnano Hokenshitsu focused on mental health support and improving mental health literacy in the Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture. There, she helped create safe and welcoming spaces for open dialogue around mental health concerns, aiming to reduce stigma and increase access to care.

She is particularly interested in the long-term mental health impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), chronic stress, and social determinants of health. These interests continue to guide her graduate work, as she investigates the biological and structural factors contributing to mental illness, including the impact of cultural norms and occupational stress.

As President of the Trauma-Free NYC Student Advocate Group, Miho supports efforts to integrate trauma-informed practices into public health systems and raise awareness of trauma’s impact on individuals and communities.

Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Education

Teachers College, Columbia University

As a neuroscientist and board-certified pediatrician, Kim Noble directs the Neurocognition, Early Experience and Development (NEED) lab, where she and her team study how socioeconomic inequality relates to in children's cognitive and brain development.  Her work examines socioeconomic disparities in cognitive development, as well as brain structure and function, across infancy, childhood and adolescence. She is particularly interested in understanding how early in infancy or toddlerhood such disparities develop; the modifiable environmental differences that account for these disparities; and the ways we might harness this research to inform the design of interventions. Along with a multidisciplinary team from around the country, with funding from NIH and a consortium of foundations, she is currently planning the first clinical trial of poverty reduction to assess the causal impact of income on children’s cognitive, emotional and brain development in the first three years of life. Dr. Noble received her undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, completed postdoctoral training at the Sackler Institute of Developmental Psychobiology of Weill Cornell Medical College, and completed her residency in pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center / Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York - Presbyterian. She was awarded a 2017 Association for Psychological Science Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. Her work linking family income to brain structure across childhood and adolescence has received worldwide attention in the popular press.

Website Maintainer and Teaching Assistant
Trauma-Free NYC, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Joshua is a biostatistician providing a technical perspective to global children’s health. He grew up homeschooled and loved to work through math problems, build websites from scratch, and read anything he could get his hands on. His interest in brain health also began early, by reading books about neuroplasticity and taking online courses in neurobiology and epigenetics. He received his Associate’s Degree at age 17 before pausing school for volunteering, then proceeding to finish his Bachelor’s in Statistics from Brigham Young University in just one year. He worked for two years as a statistical programmer in the pharmaceutical industry, and he is now graduating with his Master's in Biostatistics with an emphasis in Public Health Data Science at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

To contrast his analytical side, Joshua likes to spend as much time as possible with his feet on the ground helping people. He volunteered briefly for Crisis Text Line, served for one year as a board member for the Cincinnati chapter of Habitat For Humanity Young Professionals, and spent 18 months as a missionary in Argentina for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became directly involved in trauma research after reading Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk’s well-known book, “The Body Keeps the Score,” which inspired him to dedicate his career to mitigating childhood trauma. As part of a class on trauma-informed care, he worked with the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice on a state level analysis of adverse childhood experiences data, and served for one year as President of the Trauma-Free NYC–Student Advocate Group. He now maintains the Trauma-Free NYC website and acts as Teaching Assistant for the ACE's service learning course. His other current projects include eradicating childhood malnutrition in Argentina, promoting kangaroo mother care through a new medical device, and researching the intergenerational transmission of obesity.

Sackler Institute Professor of Developmental Psychology (in Psychiatry)

Columbia University Medical Center

Dr. Gingrich and his group use a systems approach to better understand normal and abnormal brain function; in particular, the mechanisms that underlie neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders. Their goal is to understand how genetic and epigenetic factors affect behavior and intervening systems such as circuitry, anatomy, and physiology. The lab exploits the ability to genetically modify mice–either to mimic known human susceptibility factors or to use conditional gene modifications–to further investigate our hypotheses regarding circuitry and physiology. Towards that end, Dr. Gingrich is pursuing several lines of research related to the role of serotonin-signaling in the cortex. These studies have demonstrated an important role for cortical influence on behaviors related to schizophrenia and anxiety. His lab also has an active program examining the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin on the development of brain circuits that modulate affective and anxiety states. Additionally, the group has developed a mouse model of epigenetic effects of paternal age on behavior and brain function.

Director, Programs
Trauma-Free NYC, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Dr. Kassow is a research scientist and leader in the early childhood/early learning field, with extensive experience on both the east and west coasts. She began her career as a special education public high school teacher in a rural and high-risk community in upstate New York. The challenges her students faced during the years leading to adulthood inspired her to think deeply about the criticalness of early childhood and the key factors children need to thrive and succeed across the lifespan. Dr. Kassow went on to obtain a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology & Methodology and has devoted her career to the well-being of children, families, and communities. She has been a called upon as an early childhood and parenting expert by many media outlets, and her publications on parent-child attachment and early literacy remain popular. Dr. Kassow previously served as the Executive Director of Strategy & Policy for the Division of Early Childhood Education at the New York City Department and launched her own consulting firm in 2010. In 2016, her consulting services were retained by the Mailman School of Public Health to launch a new initiative, Trauma-Free NYC, a university-based program focused on identifying and promoting trauma-informed practices and policies in New York City. She was later asked to join the team full-time in 2019. Dr. Kassow is also a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, a form of somatic education. Dr. Kassow aims to bridge her extensive knowledge of early childhood and adverse childhood experiences with health, healing practices, and lifelong wellbeing.

Anna Cheskis Gelman and Murray Charles Gelman Professor of Epidemiology
Chair, Department of Epidemiology

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Dr. Branas has conducted research that extends from urban and rural areas in the US to communities across the globe, incorporating place-based interventions and human geography. He has led win-win science that generates new knowledge while simultaneously creating positive, real-world changes and providing health-enhancing resources for local communities. His pioneering work on geographic access to medical care has changed the healthcare landscape, leading to the designation of new hospitals and a series of national scientific replications in the US and other countries for many conditions: trauma, cancer, stroke, etc. His research on the geography and factors underpinning gun violence has been cited by landmark Supreme Court decisions, Congress, and the NIH Director. Dr. Branas has also led large-scale scientific work to transform thousands of vacant lots, abandoned buildings and other blighted spaces in improving the health and safety of entire communities. These are the first citywide randomized controlled trials of urban blight remediation and have shown this intervention to be a highly cost-effective solution to persistent urban health problems like gun violence. He has worked internationally on four continents and led multi-national efforts, producing extensive cohorts of developing nation scientists, national health metrics, and worldwide press coverage.

Bruce Shapiro is Executive Director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism encouraging innovative reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy worldwide. Shapiro is recipient of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies for "outstanding and fundamental contributions to the social understanding of trauma." 

An award-winning reporter on human rights, criminal justice and politics, Shapiro is a contributing editor at The Nation and U.S. correspondent for Late Night Live on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National. He is also teaches ethics at Columbia Journalism School, where he is adjunct associate professor and Senior Advisor for Academic Affairs.  His books include Shaking the Foundations: 200 Years of Investigative Journalism in America and Legal Lynching: The Death Penalty and America's Future.

Dr. Alwyn Cohall is a Professor of Public Health and Pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center and the Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Cohall's main areas of research interest include adolescent health; sexual and reproductive health; access to healthcare, particularly for young men of color; using media/technology to enhance health communication/health promotion; and, integrating trauma-informed care into clinical practice.  In addition to his research interests, Dr. Cohall is board-certified in both pediatrics and adolescent medicine and has a private practice in adolescent and young adult health. Dr. Cohall serves as the director of the Harlem Health Promotion Center which is devoted to reducing health disparities in communities of color. He is also the director of Project Stay (Services to Assist Youth), which is a New York State Department of Health funded program that provides confidential health services to young people affected by or infected with HIV/AIDS.  With support from the NYCDOHMH, he is leading an initiative to educate and link youth to care for PEP and PrEP services. Further, he is the Principal Investigator of the NYC CDC STD Prevention Training Center which focuses on enhancing the skills of primary care providers to manage patients with sexually transmitted diseases.

Additionally, in his role as Co-Principal Investigator at the New York Presbyterian site, he is involved with an NIH funded research project called “Link2Care” which designed to improve screening for STIs/HIV and substance use and subsequent linkages to health care services for Justice Involved Youth at high-risk for HIV. Dr. Cohall is Co-Director of the Washington Heights/Inwood Youth Opportunity HUB – a program funded by the NYC District Attorney’s office to reduce youth involvement in the justice system. Finally, he is a medical consultant for the Primary Care Development Corporation on projects related to HIV care.

He is a member of several professional organizations including: the American Public Health Association, the Society for Adolescent Health in Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. In recognition of his tireless efforts to improve the health of adolescents and their families, Dr. Cohall has been honored by: the New York Urban League, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Public Health Association of New York City, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Society for Adolescent Health in Medicine.