Student Highlights

Degree Program: Master of Health Science (MHS) - Health Economics and Outcomes Research

Mentor: Dr. Karen Shen

Jessica Jenkins joined the Bloomberg School in Fall 2025 as a student in the Health Economics and Outcomes Research program. She brings a diverse background spanning neuroscience, clinical research, and translational medicine, with a focus on improving healthcare delivery for older adults.

Her professional experience includes project management in patient support programs and public-sector consulting to facilitate value-based decision-making in energy and healthcare sectors. Jessica also co-founded Specifix Dx, a startup dedicated to improving urinary tract infection diagnostics for older adults and individuals with neurogenic bladder by leveraging novel biomarkers to enhance diagnostic specificity.

At the Lipitz Center, Jessica will apply her skills in economic evaluation to assess clinical workflows for dementia diagnosis and care in primary care settings.  Her aim is to integrate health economics with translational research to advance evidence-based interventions for aging populations.

Degree Program: Master of Public Health, Master of Business Administration

Mentor: Dr. Chanee Fabius

Erika Ito, MD, is a physician and dual-degree MPH/MBA candidate at Johns Hopkins University, dedicated to transforming healthcare through a focus on quality of life (QoL), caregiver well-being, and equitable access to aging services. Her clinical training in Japan provided deep micro-level insight into physiological and patient-care challenges, while also exposing her to macro-level system failures, including fragmented long-term care and the growing burden placed on family caregivers in an aging society.

For more than six years, Erika has conducted international public health research on dementia and chronic disease management, emphasizing patient- and caregiver-reported outcomes and QoL measurement. At Hopkins, she has broadened this foundation through data-driven strategy and innovation work across pharmaceuticals, biotech, venture capital, and healthcare consulting—experiences that strengthened her ability to translate evidence into patient-centered solutions.

Through the Lipitz Center Fellowship, Erika hopes to contribute to research and policy initiatives that bridge the gap between evidence and practice. She aims to apply implementation science methods to ensure that research insights meaningfully improve care delivery. Her long-term goal is to advance aging systems in which older adults can live with dignity, connection, and purpose, both in the U.S., Japan, and globally.

Degree Program: Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) – Health Policy and Management  

Mentor: Dr. Chanee Fabius 

Abigayle Burnett is an MSPH student in the Department of Health Policy and Management, following her graduation with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Health Studies from Queen’s University. Her experience includes qualitative research on food insecurity among socially isolated seniors and working as a Community Service Intern at South Riverdale Community Health Centre, where she contributed to initiatives addressing healthcare access barriers. She currently volunteers as a Friendly Caller with the Red Cross, providing social support to isolated seniors. Abigayle is also involved in the Maryland Department of Aging's Longevity Ready Maryland initiative, supporting the development of recommendations to address challenges in the direct care workforce. Passionate about social determinants of health, Abigayle is eager to apply evidence-based research to health policy. She looks forward to collaborating with mentors and peers during the Fellowship to help advance efforts that improve the quality of life for older adults. 

Degree Program: Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) – Health Policy and Management  

Mentor: Dr. Kate Miller 

Rohini Achal is a current first year Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) – Health Policy student in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Her primary interests are family caregiving, long-term care, and disability policy. Previously, Rohini worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, and for the University of Washington Schools of Public Health and the Environment. She currently works with the Center’s investigators on a multi-year study to advance the capacity of the National Family Caregiver and Native American Caregiver Support Programs to better recognize and support family caregivers. Rohini is excited to continue supporting this multi-year research project during this fellowship. As a fellow, she hopes to pursue research on the needs, experiences, and health outcomes of underrepresented caregiver and care recipient populations such as youth/young adult caregivers and caregivers to adults with understudied disabilities. Rohini ultimately seeks to translate this knowledge into evidence-based aging and disability policies that support a nationwide caregiving support system. 

Degree Program: Master of Health Science (MHS) - Health Economics and Outcomes Research 

Mentor: Dr. Karen Shen 

Sanika Kulkarni is a current MHS candidate in the Health Economics & Outcomes Research program interested in the health economics and financing behind long-term and end-of-life care. Originally from the Bay Area, CA, Sanika grew up watching her parents learn to meet the complex needs of her grandparents as caregivers. After graduating from the George Washington University with a BS in Public Health and minors in Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics, Sanika worked at a federal consulting firm that focused on public health informatics and social determinants of health where she became curious how she could use informatics to answer health economics questions for aging populations. Currently, Sanika works on a scoping review on credit scores and health with Dr. Ettman and on the CARE Environmental Scan project. 

Degree Program:  Master of Health Science (MHS) - Health Economics and Outcomes Research 

Mentor: Dr. Kate Miller 

Aditi Bajpai is a dedicated health sciences professional currently pursuing a Master of Health Science in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She holds a PharmD and has extensive experience in clinical pharmacy, market access, and biopharma intelligence. Bajpai has worked with organizations like Maven Bio, Clarivate, and Kasturba Medical Hospital, where she gained expertise in healthcare data analysis, drug policy, stakeholder engagement, and clinical pharmacy practice. Her research includes a dissertation on the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications among older adults, highlighting the importance of medication safety. Passionate about improving health outcomes for older adults and caregivers, she is involved in the Maryland Department of Aging's Longevity Ready Maryland initiative, addressing challenges in the direct care workforce. Aditi’s commitment to promoting patient safety, equity, and care for vulnerable populations drives her work, and she aims to continue addressing gaps in care for older adults and their families through research and policy advocacy.