Leadership & TEAM MEMBERS
The people behind the work.
NHPC convenes researchers, physicians, and legal experts committed to strategic and structural health system reform.
Leadership
Kevin Zheng
Founder
Kevin Zheng is the Founder and Director of the National Health Policy Collaborative. As a health policy researcher and medical student at the Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht School of Medicine, he dedicates his career to advancing health equity through translational research and policy advocacy.
Kevin serves as the Director of Policy Research for the Drug Affordability Research & Translation (DART) Lab. He is also the creator of Upstream Medicine, a health policy publication read by the Financial Times and Bloomberg. Dedicated to local community health, he co-founded the Older Adult Caregiving Education Foundation to expand educational resources for Missouri assisted living facilities and previously served as a Volunteering Director for Habitat for Humanity in St. Louis.
Kevin earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology: Microbiology and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. While there, he conducted infectious disease research in the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Veis and contributed to public health systems scoping reviews under Dr. Elvin Geng.
Avighna Phanibatla
LEGISLative engagement director & co-founder
Avighna Phanibatla is the Director of Advocacy and Secretary of the National Health Policy Collaborative. Her work bridges clinical care, molecular biology research, and advocacy.
As an Archer Fellow with the University of Texas System, Avighna expanded her public policy expertise by interning for Congresswoman Joyce Beatty in Washington, D.C. Her dedication to patient-centered advocacy includes serving as a Patient Advocate in the Emergency Department at Bellevue Hospital and leading a research project on a vital palliative care and healthcare proxy education initiative at Tisch Hospital to improve patient access to advance care planning.
Avighna’s extensive research background includes conducting molecular biology research in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Ellington at the University of Texas at Austin and interning in the cell and developmental biology laboratory of Dr. Praveen Suraneni at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She presented her work at the University of Texas at Austin's Undergraduate Research Forum. Committed to community leadership, she also served as the Director of Advocacy and Belonging for The Daily Texan and as a Committee Head for Phi Delta Epsilon. Avighna received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Advisors
Dr. Sandro Galea
Advisor
Dr. Sandro Galea is an Advisor to the National Health Policy Collaborative and serves as the inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is also the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health and Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives. A prominent population health scientist and physician, his landmark scholarship in social and psychiatric epidemiology is widely backed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and leading global foundations.
Before organizing WashU’s first new school in a century, Dr. Galea spent a decade as Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, orchestrating massive institutional growth and pioneering transformative public health communication models. He also previously chaired the Department of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Galea's immense contributions have earned him numerous lifetime honors, including the Wade Hampton Frost and Rema Lapouse Awards from the American Public Health Association, the Michael J. McGinnis Award, and the prestigious 2026 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award. He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto, completed graduate degrees at Harvard University and Columbia University, and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Glasgow and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Robin Hattori
Advisor
Robin Hattori is an Advisor to the National Health Policy Collaborative with over two decades of experience in institutional project management and civic engagement. She serves as a Senior Project Manager and Lab Manager within the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A recipient of WashU’s prestigious Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award, Robin’s work is defined by her deep commitment to inclusion and community impact.
Robin’s civic leadership focuses on cultural preservation, education, and regional inclusion. She serves as the Executive Director for the Japan America Society of St. Louis and sits on the board of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), where she has championed major oral history initiatives like the AAPI Voices project. Additionally, she acts as a dedicated board member, donor, and long-time volunteer with the Central Institute for the Deaf (CID).
As a WashU alumna and current staff member, Robin has advanced civic engagement and community impact through leadership roles in the Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Office of Admissions. Robin received her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and her master’s degree in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis.
Cyril Loum
Advisor
Cyril Loum is an Advisor to the National Health Policy Collaborative with an extensive background in civic leadership and venture development. At Washington University in St. Louis, Cyril operates as the Assistant Director and Manager of Venture Development for the Skandalaris Center and as an adjunct professor at the McKelvey School of Engineering.
As the founder of Caring Ministries Inc., he built and led a non-profit dedicated to supporting local communities by providing food, clothing, and other resources. His work is driven by a passion for entrepreneurship as a catalyst for social impact and empowerment. He earned a B.A. from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and an M.A. in Legal Studies from Webster University.
Members
Our member network is expanding. NHPC is actively recruiting affiliated researchers, physicians, and policy analysts to contribute to ongoing structural reform initiatives.
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contact
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