Office of Health Equity

Ernest Moy, MD, MPH, is the Executive Director of the Office of Health Equity of the VHA. This office supports and coordinates efforts to understand and reduce disparities in health and health care affecting veterans.

Prior to joining VHA, he was a Medical Officer in the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology at the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At CDC, he studied rural health disparities, analyzed linked hospital-vital statistics data to identify care patterns that placed patients at high risk for opioid poisoning death, and developed new data visualizations and partnerships for disseminating health statistics.

Prior to CDC, he was Director of the Division in the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that designed and produced the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, submitted annually to Congress, and related web tools. He has also worked as a Director of Research and Assistant Vice President at the Association of American Medical Colleges, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Emergency Care Physician at the Baltimore VAMC.

Ernest is a graduate of Harvard College, New York University School of Medicine, and Columbia University School of Public Health. Following internal medicine residency, he was a general internal medicine fellow at Columbia University and a Robert Wood Johnson Health Care Finance fellow at Johns Hopkins University.

Ernest’s research interests include disparities in access and quality of care, particularly the application of electronic health records, machine learning, and systems science modeling to improve health care. He was selected to serve as the first Academy Health Innovator-in-Residence.

Kenneth T. Jones, PhD
Deputy Director
Email: Kenneth.Jones8@va.gov 

Kenneth T. Jones has served as a Program Analyst with OHE since 2012. In this position, he advises on quantitative data and other measures to better understand and address health equity issues for vulnerable Veterans. He has served as the progam lead on field-based health equity quality improvement projects and as co-investigator on a research protocol to examine health and healthcare disparities among transgender Veterans.

Prior to his current role, Kenneth served as a public health analyst and behavioral scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where he created the country’s first effective community-level behavioral intervention for young black men who have sex with men at risk for HIV. He has also served as the Director of Research for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. Kenneth received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work and is a recent graduate of the inaugural class of the Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity Fellowship Program based at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Health Workforce Institute) in Washington, DC. He also recently completed training in Health Care Executive Leadership from the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives sponsored by the Uniform Services University of the Health Services (Bethesda, Maryland).

Michelle Hutchinson, USA(RET), SPHR
Executive Assistant
Email: michelle.hutchinson@va.gov 

Michelle Hutchinson, USA(RET), SPHR, is the Executive Assistant in the Office of Health Equity. She began this role in November of 2023.

Michelle joined VA in 2018 where she began as a Human Resources Specialist in Workforce Management supporting Organizational Assessments and consulting with leadership teams on Organizational Health. She has also spent time as a Manpower Analyst in Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC). From January 2021 until starting her role in the Office of Health Equity she served as an Administrative Officer in the Office of Patient Care Services, (PCS) where she was as an HR Liaison between various PCS Program Offices and servicing HR Teams.

Michelle is a US Army Veteran, she served 4 years in the Washington Army National Guard and as an active-duty Soldier for over 11 years. During her time on Active duty, she was a Human Resources Officer responsible for serving as leaderships primary advisor on all things Human Resources and providing personnel support to the Soldiers within her Organizations.  

Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington State University, a master’s degree in human resources management from Webster University, and has held and maintained her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification since 2018.

Justin List, MD, MAR, MSc, FACP
Director of Health Care Outcomes
Email: Justin.List@va.gov

Justin List, MD, MAR, MSc, FACP (he/him/his) joined in 2022 as Director, Health Care Outcomes in the Office of Health Equity. Prior to joining VHA, he was Assistant Vice President in the Office of Ambulatory Care and Population Health, NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC's municipal healthcare system), Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, and a practicing primary care internist with a focus on care for gender diverse emerging adults. Among his many roles at NYC Health + Hospitals, he was part of the founding steering committee for its system Equity & Access Council and gained experience leading intergovernmental agency initiatives. Prior to NYC Health + Hospitals, he was Director of Clinical & Scientific Affairs in the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, overseeing the Cancer Prevention & Control Program, Public Health Detailing program, clinical tobacco control, while also providing scientific writing and review on division chronic disease research, communications, and programming.

Justin is a graduate of Augustana College (IL), Yale Divinity School, and Loyola University Chicago - Stritch School of Medicine. During medical school, he was an NIH/Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholar in Kampala, Uganda and researched TB and HIV case finding. Following internal medicine residency in the Yale Internal Medicine-Primary Care Program, he was a VA-funded fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. He is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine.

Justin is interested in operationalizing tools and programs based on data arising from the nexus of health equity, population health, and quality improvement to advance health justice. His research and clinical interests include chronic disease prevention and management, cancer disparities, mentorship/capacity-building, bioethics, and leadership.

Lauren Korshak, DHealth(c), MS, RCEP
Director of Education
Email: Lauren.Korshak@va.gov

Lauren Korshak is the Director of Education at OHE. Prior to joining OHE, Lauren worked within VHA to develop and expand VA’s strategic partnerships with nongovernmental organizations that included Amazon, YMCA, United States Tennis Association, (USTA), and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100 Million Healthier Lives Initiative, as well as with community Choice providers to ensure that Veterans were connected to treatment in their communities as well as within their VA Medical Centers. 

Lauren practiced as a physiologist at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center, where she oversaw the exercise and stress management components of the Lifestyle Intervention for Veterans (LIVe) Program at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center, a holistic program aimed at providing intensive diabetes management through lifestyle interventions as an adjunct to traditional medication therapy, and was engaged in epidemiology, systems redesign, and clinical research.

Lauren holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, where she is a member of the teaching faculty. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Bath in England and explores and has published on the relationships between chronic disease, exercise capacity and mortality.  Lauren has been interviewed by television news and radio channels about the importance of engaging in healthy behaviors.

Lauren E. Russell, MPP, MPH
Health System Specialist, ACORN Co-Lead

Email: Lauren.Russell3@va.gov

Shannon M. Jordan, MPH
Program Analyst, Engagement Lead
Email: Shannon.Jordan2@va.gov

Shannon M. Jordan is a Program Analyst where she utilizes data analysis, evaluation and program management to support the advancement of health and health care equity for Veterans impacted by disparities. Shannon previously worked with the VA Office of Research and Development where she served as the Program Manager for the Scientific Merit Review Board and coordinated the Data and Safety Monitoring Board review process for Health Services Research and Development.

Prior to joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Shannon worked for over 15 years as a Chemical Information Specialist for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM) Environmental Health and Toxicology Program where she developed and maintained biomedical information databases and specialized in designing and providing training and outreach programs and services for researchers, healthcare providers, and special populations to eliminate health disparities. She is the recipient of a 2014 White House GreenGov Presidential Award for her work on the NIH Substances of Concern Reduction Initiative. Shannon received her bachelor of science in chemistry and Master of Public Health degrees from Howard University.

Kelly Nestman, M.A.
Health System Specialist, Logistics and Dissemination Lead
Email: Kelly.Nestman@va.gov 

Kelly Nestman (She/They) is a Health System Specialist with OHE where she leads logistics and dissemination efforts. Prior to joining OHE, Kelly worked at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) as a project manager for the Primary Care Equity Dashboard and other health equity-related research projects.

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies from the Chatham College for Women, where she also sits on the Alumni Association Board. She completed her master’s degree in Psychology from Chatham University in 2020, where her focus was integrating psychology best practices into contraceptive counseling. She also led a qualitative research team to examine feelings of diversity and inclusion among students and faculty to inform intuitional diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Kelly serves as a founding board member of the Queer Family Planning Project, and has worked with several other Pittsburgh community organizations, including the National Council of Jewish Women and Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s Salk Fellowship.

Ashley L. Bowman, MPA, MSHI
Health System Specialist
Email: ashley.bowman3@va.gov

Ashley L. Bowman, MPA, MSHI, is a Health System Specialist with Office of Health Equity of the VHA. In this role, she utilizes data analysis, research findings, and evaluation projects to support the advancement of health and heath care equity for Veterans impacted by disparities. She previously lead access, productivity, and efficiency efforts as Ambulatory Care Operations Director for the Charleston, SC VA Healthcare System.

Ashley is a graduate of College of Charleston. Following graduation, she earned her commission in the United States Navy through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, FL. Her Navy career began as Communications Officer on USS Elrod (FFG-55) and concluded as the Executive Officer of the Navy Operational Support Center in Columbus, OH. Following her military service, she earned both a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Health Informatics. She has dedicated her life to public service and has over 20 years’ experience in military, federal government, state government, public universities, nonprofit organizations and community organizations.

Shane Lamba, MPH
Health System Specialist
Email: Shane.Lamba@va.gov

Shane Lamba (he/him) is a Health System Specialist with OHE where he works on data, research, and evaluation projects centered on principles of health equity for Veterans. Prior to joining OHE, he was a Health Science Specialist at the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System’s Spinal Cord Injuries/Disorders Center, conducting qualitative research understanding the barriers to care and psychosocial health outcomes for LGBTQ+ Veterans with SCI. Before his qualitative work, at the SCI/D Center he was involved with a VA Cooperative Studies Program, multi-site exoskeleton-assisted walking device clinical trial. While working as a Health Science Specialist, Shane was a Health Equity Fellow with OHE, developing his interest in LGBTQ+ Veteran health, food insecurity, nutrition policy, and obesity.  Much of his experience is rooted in qualitative methods and clinical research, he hopes to utilize those skills when thinking about health equity and what that means for health education interventions.

He also serves as a Co-Investigator for Stanford University’s The Population Research in Identities and Disparities for Equality (PRIDE) Study, where he is studying access to care, physical functioning, and psychosocial health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people with disabilities.

Sarah Leder, MSW
Health System Specialist
Email: Sarah.Leder@va.gov

Sarah (she/hers) works in the Office of Health Equity as a Health Systems Specialist where she works on data, research, and evaluation projects to better understand and address health equity issues Veterans face. She recently completed the Veterans Geography of Opportunity Tool and is currently working on a project concerning justice-involved Veterans and developing a dashboard for the Assessing Circumstances and Offering Resources for Needs (ACORN) Initiative. She began her Federal service as a Presidential Management Fellow. She previously worked with the Office of Community Care (OCC), now the Office of Integrated Veteran Care (IVC), as a Management Analyst. Sarah also completed a detail with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the U.S. Department of Justice where she worked to draft COVID-19 guidance for designated state agencies.

Eve (Chava) Sonnier, BS, LPN, MS, PCMHCCE
Health System Specialist
Email: Eve.Sonnier@va.gov

Eve (Chava) Sonnier is a Health Systems Specialist with OHE where she works on data, research, and evaluation projects to better understand and address health equity issues for Veterans. Prior to joining OHE, Chava spent the past decade working in clinical informatics in the FQHC sector, utilizing data analytics to address health disparities for community health patients. Chava has also managed FQHCs, with a specific focus on overseeing the startup of new health centers for medically underserved populations. Before focusing on data-driven health equity quality improvement, Chava worked clinically as a nurse in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Chava holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development in addition to her undergraduate degrees in nursing, English literature, and biochemistry.

Jaime Boris, MHA, MS
Health Systems Specialist
Email: jaime.boris2@va.gov

Jaime Boris is a Health Systems Specialist with Office of Health Equity where she works on data, research, and evaluation projects to identify and address healthcare inequities facing Veterans. Prior to joining OHE full time, Jaime was a Fellow and had worked for several years in the private sector at healthcare technology companies and incubators synthesizing critical data to advance business decisions and strategies. Combining these experiences and her education, she is particularly interested in exploring the impact of technology on access and quality of healthcare and lifestyle intervention programs on healthcare utilization and outcomes.

Jaime holds a Master of Health Administration from Columbia University, a Master of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology from the George Washington University (where she completed her fieldwork at the DC VAMC), and a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science from Cornell University.

Rachel Chandra, PharmD, MPH, FASHP 
Pharmacoequity Lead

Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner
PGY-1 Program Director
VA Dayton Healthcare System
VALOR-QI Site Clinical Champion

Email: rachel.chandra@va.gov 

Michelle S. Wong, PhD
Email: Michelle.Wong6@va.gov 

Michelle S. Wong is a Health Science Specialist at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP). Her research interests are in health equity and social determinants of health, including how healthcare systems can address social determinants as a means to improve health equity. She has been involved in Office of Health Equity – QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEI) to examine and address racial/ethnic disparities in the VA healthcare system. Her most recent work with the PEI includes several first-authored publications that examined racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 testing, infection, and mortality, as well as an exploration of social determinants that may explain these disparities. Her prior research has examined the relationship between social determinants—including neighborhoods, family, and housing policies—and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity-related outcomes and behaviors.

She has previously worked at the Brookings Institution and as a management consultant at IMS Health (now IQVIA). She received her PhD in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from the Department of Health Policy and Management and a BS from Yale University in Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics.

Margaret Viboolsittiseri, M.A.


Margaret Viboolsittiseri is a Veteran, Army spouse, and artist who works as a Military Education Coordinator serving six military installations throughout the island of O’ahu. Margaret earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in liberal studies with a capstone that focused on healing moral injuries and traumas with art. As a VHA Office of Health Equity fellow, her aim is to assist the military community with the creation of therapeutic art and writing programs that aid health and wellness.

Margaret has a debut with Paper View Books and has contributed to dozens of anthologies, including ‘My teeth don’t chew on shrapnel’: an anthology of poetry by military veterans (Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre, 2020), available as a free download with helpful prompts for veterans’ art and poetry workshops. Selected exhibitions include Honolulu Printmakers at the Downtown Art Center in Honolulu, HI, L’Air Arts in Atelier 11 at Cité Falquière, the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Honfleur Gallery in Historic Anacostia, Dulles International Art Gallery in Dulles, VA, the Library of Congress and Embassy of the United Kingdom in Washington, DC.