Mona N. Shah

Mona Shah joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2014. Drawing on her deep commitment to research and its potential to impact health and healthcare, she praises the Foundation’s work in making its extensive research accessible to the public and policymakers alike. As both a researcher and expert in health policy, Mona is involved in the process of understanding and measuring key health and healthcare issues essential to the Foundation’s overarching strategy to move our nation toward a Culture of Health.

Before joining the Foundation, Mona served as associate director of federal relations at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in Washington. In this role she led and executed the organization’s strategy related to prevention, access to care, safety net programs, and health equity. Previously, as ACS CAN’s senior policy analyst, she managed a cancer prevention portfolio and led evaluation of healthcare reform efforts focused on prevention, early detection, and health equity.

Her prior experience includes leading epidemiologic research at the United States Military Cancer Institute, the New York City Department of Health, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–School of Public Health. Her published research covers cancer disparities, incidence and mortality, tobacco use, obesity, asthma, and utilization and access to clinical prevention services.

Mona earned her PhD in epidemiology from George Washington University, her MPH in epidemiology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and her BA in Biology and Society from Cornell University. She also is a founder of Subcontinental Drift—a nationwide South Asian American artistic coalition that fosters and provides a supportive and inclusive community for creative expression, community engagement, and positive social change.

A New Jersey native, Mona resides in Princeton, N.J., with her husband and their two kids. She enjoys travel, listening to live music, and watching political dramas on TV.

From Mona, on the Blog