Addie Boone, MD, MPH (Faculty Advisor)
Addie Boone, MD, MPH, is DCISHA’s faculty advisor and practices as a dual board-certified physician in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Health Policy Section, at the George Washington University. We are fortunate to have her on our team, as she is a brilliant leader who brings a rich, multidisciplinary, and impactful background that has helped lay the groundwork for DCISHA’s Vision and Mission.
Addie Boone, MD, MPH, completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she studied Medical Anthropology and Global Health. While at UW, Boone conducted medical anthropology research as the Principal Investigator of an IRB-approved study at the Uganda Cancer Institute, Contextualizing Cancer Care in a Resource Constrained Setting: A provider ethnography. She also conducted translational research in applied mathematical modeling of glioblastoma brain tumors to create patient-specific in silico models or “digital twins” that predict tumor growth and invasion to improve neurosurgical and radiotherapy planning.
Addie Boone, MD, MPH, attended medical school at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine on a partial tuition scholarship from Siragusa Foundation. During medical school, she served as president of the Health Equity Task Force, was awarded a Schweitzer Fellowship for creating a medical-legal partnership on the West Side of Chicago, and was appointed to the Illinois State Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. Following medical school, Boone completed an intern year in categorical general surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital, before transferring to John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital, the County Level 1 Trauma Center in Fort Worth, Texas to complete a Family Medicine residency with a rural/ global focus including a weekly international clinic for newly arriving asylee populations as well as multiple rotations in rural North Halmahera, Indonesia and Leribe, Lesotho. Boone went on to complete a second residency at JPS in Emergency Medicine where she served as Chief Resident and a voting resident member on the executive Patient Safety and Quality Committee and Patient Experience Executive Strategic Priorities Working Group.
Following her residency, Addie Boone, MD, MPH, completed a two-year Health Policy Fellowship at George Washington University, where she also earned her master’s degree in public health with a focus on Health Policy and Management. During her fellowship, Boone served in the United States Senate as a Health Legislative Fellow, where her portfolio included reimbursement policy, rural health care, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and child welfare, among other policy priority areas.
Before pursuing a career in medicine Addie Boone, MD, MPH, worked in the technology sector where she specialized in high-reliability circuit and system design including medical devices such as automated external defibrillators, cardiac monitors, and high-end ultrasound machines before culminating with positions working with Microsoft in product management for machine learning and knowledge management products and global localization. During this time, she also served as an advisory board member and contributor to several domestic and global disaster services and public health humanitarian projects, working with government and non-government organizations in the U.S. and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). When not otherwise engaged, Addie Boone, MD, MPH, enjoys hiking, discovering new international recipes, traveling, and writing poetry.
Ali Dewald (Co-Founder)
Ali Dewald, MD '26, is an alumnus of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is originally from Hartland, Michigan and she studied Biomolecular Science with a minor in Urban Studies at the University of Michigan. She first became passionate about working with patients experiencing homelessness in college when she volunteered at a shelter, helping people with resumes, job applications, and applying for public benefits. She works as a public policy research associate in the Cornell Public Health Governance lab, where she studies homelessness and policing. She also served as Co-Director of the Homeless Medicine Initiative (now the Street Medicine Initiative) with Anna Buchanan.
Together with their mentor, Dr. Addie Boone, Anna and Ali started the D.C. Interdisciplinary Health Alliance (DCISHA) in February 2023 to bring together students from the schools of medicine, law, policy, and public health with a shared interest in health policy and advocacy for people across the spectrum of housing instability
Anna Buchannan (Co-Founder)
Anna Buchanan, MD '26, is an alumnus of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, and studied Environmental Science at McGill University. Her commitment to working with people experiencing homelessness began as an undergraduate while shadowing at the Errera Community Care Center in West Haven, Connecticut, and deepened during her year of service with AmeriCorps as a patient navigator at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Philadelphia. In medical school, she served as Co-Director of the Homeless Medicine Initiative (now the Street Medicine Initiative) with Ali Dewald, where she gained a deeper understanding of how unstable housing impacts health beyond clinical care.
Recognizing the need for broader collaboration, Anna co-founded the DC Interdisciplinary Health Alliance (DCISHA) with Ali Dewald and Dr. Addie Boone. Through this work, she has connected students from medicine, law, and policy to address the systems that shape health, with a focus on programs that improve direct care while advancing advocacy to address structural drivers of health inequities in Washington, D.C.
Preeyanka Rao (Co-President)
Preeyanka Rao is an M3 at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from New Jersey, she obtained her B.A. in Public Policy and Biology (Concentration in Health Policy, Bioethics, and Human Rights) and her Master of Public Health in Health Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill prior to starting medical school. She is passionate about leveraging clinical medicine and evidence-based health policy to reduce health disparities, improve minority health, and ensure equitable healthcare access, with a focus on Medicaid reform. She has prior experience at D.C.-based government relations firms, state health agencies, academic health policy think tanks, and public health advocacy organizations.
Her passion for the intersection of health and homelessness started with her time volunteering with the Community Empowerment Fund in Chapel Hill, a non-profit providing person-centered support, financial education, and asset building tools to individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness or housing insecurity. She served asasset-building an Advocate Fellow for two years, where she met with residents of Orange County one-on-one to support them as they worked towards achieving greater financial stability, gaining employment, and securing stable housing, as well as a New Member Intro Specialist and COVID-19 Resource Support Team member during the pandemic.
In her free time, she enjoys finding the best vegetarian-friendly restaurants in D.C., indulging her love for seeing new places, and curating Spotify playlists.
Sophie Gorup (Co-President)
Sophie Gorup is an M3 at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. After growing up in South Florida, she attended Columbia University, where she earned her B.A. in History and Chemistry. Her classes and thesis mainly focused on the history of science and medicine, which then nurtured her passion for the medical humanities. She plans to apply a humanistic lens in her clinical encounters and research throughout her career in medicine.
Her interest in the intersection of health and homelessness initially began while volunteering at the Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where she supported many patients who were at risk of or experiencing homelessness. These direct patient-encounters, didactic lectures in Samuel Robert’s “History of Health Inequality in the Modern US,” and conversations with Dr. Boone inspired her to make homelessness and health a priority while in medical school. In her free time, Sophie enjoys frequenting museums, traveling, trying new restaurants, and playing all of the New York Times Games.
Yasameen Ehtami (Medical Liaison Lead)
Yasameen Etami is a third-year medical student at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences with a strong interest in the intersection of public health, medicine, and social justice. Originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, she got her B.S. in public health from GWU. She is particularly passionate about addressing health inequities that impact people experiencing homelessness and other marginalized communities.
Her background includes research and clinical work at the National Institutes of Health, where she supported studies on opioid use disorder, and with One Tent Health, where she provided HIV screenings and promoted prevention resources in underserved neighborhoods. Yasameen has also contributed to public health research on health communication, HIV risk, and the neurological and psychological health of athletes.
Outside of research and clinical work, Yasameen has been dedicated to teaching, mentorship, and advocacy. From tutoring STEM students to serving as a youth mentor and engaging in human rights and community service initiatives, she has consistently worked to uplift others and expand access to health resources. Yasameen aspires to build a career that integrates medicine, public health, and advocacy to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.
In her free time, Yasameen enjoys exploring DC, trying new restaurants, and listening to audiobooks.
Justin Chang (Law and Public Health Liaison Lead)
Justin Chang is a third-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from the East Bay Area in California, he earned his B.S. in Neuroscience with double minors in Biomedical Research and Musicology at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was deeply invested in advocating for cancer patients and research. After UCLA, he worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis Behavioral Technician for 2 years, and then got his Accelerated Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from George Washington University Milken School of Public Health in 2024.
During his MPH, Justin took two classes - Public Health Ethics and Public Health Law - which were both taught by law professors. He particularly enjoyed listening to their perspective on the intersection between law and public health. This inspired him to fully understand how to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare, particularly as he aspires to become a clinical medical educator. His interest in DCISHA stems from a desire to learn about the unstably housed population following the Supreme Court ruling of Grants Pass v. Johnson and apply an interdisciplinary approach to solve this public health issue.
Currently, he serves as Senior Director of Education for Project UNITY, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing public health, medicine, and digital health education to youth, including high school students. He hopes to continue providing equity and accessibility to public health education. In his free time, he likes to try new restaurants, play video games, go on walks, and play card games.
Tabitha Demissie (Community Partnerships Lead)
Tabitha Demissie is a third-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Las Vegas, NV, she earned her B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, Tabitha was deeply involved in social justice and community outreach, including tutoring local students and researching reintegration resources for formerly incarcerated individuals. These experiences shaped her understanding of how social determinants impact health outcomes.
During her gap year, she worked as a medical assistant at Advanced Dermatology in Alexandria, VA, through the Bridge Year program. There, she gained firsthand insight into the complexities of healthcare access, particularly for Medicaid-insured and uninsured patients. This experience fueled her interest in health policy, leading to her involvement in the Health Policy Scholarly Concentration and DCISHA.
This summer, Tabitha was a Health Policy Fellow with AmeriHealth Caritas DC through AHIP, focusing on Medicaid and Medicare. As a future physician, she is committed to driving local and systemic change to improve healthcare access and equity.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and exploring Washington, D.C. with friends.
Shoshana Evans (Community Partnerships Liaison)
Shoshana Evans is a second-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, she graduated from Lehigh University, where she studied Population Health and Epidemiology. Her commitment to patient care and public health grew out of her extensive experience in emergency medical services. As an EMT, she has provided care in both prehospital and community settings, shaping her interest in acute care medicine, mobile integrated health, and the structural barriers that affect access to care. She has also contributed to research in environmental epidemiology, working on projects examining the relationship between temperature exposure and pediatric asthma exacerbations.
Shoshana is deeply committed to food justice, with experience working on urban and rural farms in Baltimore and Pennsylvania. At GW, she serves as President of the GRoW for Health initiative and as a Community Partnership Liaison for DCISHA, where she works to strengthen community partnerships and connect individuals experiencing housing instability with critical resources. She plans to pursue a career in emergency medicine with a focus on public health, interdisciplinary care, and research aimed at addressing health disparities and improving outcomes for patients with complex social and housing needs.
Stacey Tang (Community Partnerships Liaison)
Stacey Tang is a second-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is originally from NJ and studied Public Health Studies and Behavioral Biology at The Johns Hopkins University. During her time at Hopkins, she was extensively involved with the university’s Center for Social Concern, where she had opportunities to engage in civic engagement and community-based learning. It was here that she interned with Baltimore’s Healthcare for the Homeless, providing exposure to the nuances of working with individuals experiencing homelessness and getting a better understanding of how to navigate the support systems for this population.
Stacey was also involved with Hopkins Community Connection (formerly Health Leads), where she served as a patient navigator to work with families to address barriers to care and social determinants of health needs. During her gap year, she served as a Community Program Coordinator for this program, supporting volunteers through trainings and program development. These experiences have motivated her to explore how patient navigation and social services can be more effectively integrated into the broader healthcare system and how students can meaningfully contribute to this system. In addition to serving as a Community Partnership Liaison for DCISHA, Stacey is also Co-Director of Bridge to Care, GW’s student-run free clinic, and Co-President of the Family Medicine Interest Group.
Medha Gaddam (Interdisciplinary Liaison)
Medha Gaddam is a second-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is from Fairfax, VA, and studied Psychology and the Brain Sciences at George Washington University. Through various experiences, she developed a strong interest in health equity and trauma-informed care.
Her research experience includes work across trauma surgery, maternal-fetal medicine, and health policy. At GW’s Trauma Center, she has conducted studies on infection rates in trauma patients receiving TXA. She has also contributed to research on health-information seeking behaviors amongst young adults and developed a health-equity curriculum to help residents translate their DEIJ values into an academic medicine career. She now serves as the president of the Injury Prevention and Outreach Club at SMHS, where she interacts with trauma survivors and shares resources to build a support system for the vulnerable.
Outside of research and clinical work, Medha has created an education program for children in homeless shelters, and has tutored and served other marginalized groups. Her experiences led her to pursue the Health Policy Scholarly Concentration and join DCISHA. She hopes to find even more ways to address structural inequities in healthcare and other issues disadvantaged populations face, by creating meaningful, sustainable, systems-level change.
In her free time, she enjoys reading and exploring DC.
Mary Wein (Interdisciplinary Liaison)
Mary Wein is a first-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Austin, Texas, she earned her B.A. in Neuroscience with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Virginia.
Mary’s commitment to working with individuals experiencing homelessness began early, volunteering alongside her mother at a soup kitchen in Austin. This passion continued in Charlottesville, where she volunteered at a local day shelter, and has since grown through her work with Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C. Through these experiences, she has developed a strong commitment to advancing equitable, compassionate care.
Her interest in the intersection of healthcare and homelessness has been further shaped by her clinical experiences. Through volunteer work in the UVA Emergency Department and a clinical role providing care to adults with disabilities in a residential setting, Mary has seen firsthand the importance of continuity of care and the challenges patients face in navigating fragmented healthcare systems. As a medical student, she is eager to build on these experiences and develop the skills necessary to provide longitudinal, patient-centered care to underserved populations.
In her free time, Mary enjoys going on walks and runs, cooking, and exploring new restaurants around Washington, D.C.
