Rising Public Health Leaders Named as 40 Under 40 for their Work at DOHMH

Dr. Madhury Ray and Jaimie Shaff chosen by the de Beaumont Foundation for the 40 Under 40 Award for creating new ideas and solutions to improve health in communities

New York City was one of the only health departments in the country with two honorees on the list

September 14, 2021 — Two rising leaders in the New York City Health Department were recognized by the de Beaumont Foundation for the 40 Under 40 Award. Dr. Madhury Ray is the Director for Data Analytics for Child Care, and Jaimie Shaff served as the Health Department’s Chief Data Scientist during the COVID-19 emergency response.

“Madhury and Jaimie worked tirelessly to ensure the Health Department has reliable data and strong community partnerships to make our COVID-19 response equitable and inclusive,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “Their impact in public health cannot be understated, and I thank the de Beaumont Foundation for recognizing their important work.”

About Dr. Madhury Ray

From her position at the intersection of medicine, data, health equity. and public health in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Madhury (Didi) Ray has helped address the pronounced disparities in COVID-19 transmission, hospitalizations, and mortality in neighborhoods where many Black and Brown communities reside. To help level the playing field, Madhury and her team utilized data and operational analyses to leverage resources across NYC government to locate testing sites, engage with groups who hadn’t received public health messaging, and address specific fears in tailored information sessions with trusted leaders, among other initiatives. Madhury has fulfilled several roles in the COVID-19 emergency response, from standing up vaccine hubs to convening critical care leaders around crisis response to developing a model for physician-led community engagement.

Madhury completed her MD at the Drexel University College of Medicine, earned an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a specialization in global health and a concentration in humanitarian studies, ethics, and human rights, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine during the Orange Revolution.

About Jaimie Shaff

Shaff served as the Chief Data Scientist for the COVID-19 emergency response at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Much of her work has been amplifying and responding to health inequities in the city. She aspires to embrace the city’s diversity as a strength as she develops initiatives that support the ability of diverse communities to recover and grow. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaimie has used her 14 years of experience in humanitarian emergencies and her training and expertise in applied epidemiology to identify and fill gaps, amplify health inequities, and advocate for communities often overlooked in acute emergencies.

Until the end of July, Jaimie was responsible for the development of a unit focused on identifying opportunities to bridge the gaps between communities and decision-makers and leveraging lessons learned from the COVID-19 response to inform the development of non-pharmaceutical interventions.

Jaimie also serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council for Doctors Without Borders USA. She received her MPH in epidemiology at Harvard University and her MPA in public and nonprofit management from New York University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

A panel of senior public health leaders from across the country selected the de Beaumont Foundation 40 Under 40 honorees based on the following criteria:

  • Contributions to their organization, community, and the public health field.
  • Demonstrated leadership in their organization.
  • Collaboration within their organization, community organizations, other sectors, and/or other partners.
  • Focus on advancing policy solutions and/or engaging leaders and members in your community.
  • Creative problem–solving — applying new and innovative ideas to improve public health.
  • Commitment and vision for their organization, community, and/or their state or local public health department.

More information about the de Beaumont Foundation and award can be found here: https://debeaumont.org

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Patrick Gallahue
PressOffice@health.nyc.gov