Our Team

Gregg S. Margolis, PhD, is the Director of Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). In this role, Dr. Margolis leads the NAM’s nationally renowned health policy fellowship and leadership programs with a mission of building health policy leadership and expertise for the future.

Prior to joining the NAM, Dr. Margolis served as the Director of the Division of Health System Policy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he led a team of policy experts in formulating, analyzing, and implementing policies to build strong, integrated, and resilient health care systems that are prepared for, able to respond to, and recover quickly from disasters and public health emergencies. Dr. Margolis has served numerous White House, interagency, and HHS-wide efforts and played instrumental roles in major incidents, including Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombing, outbreaks of fungal meningitis, Ebola, and Zika.

Prior to his federal service, Dr. Margolis was the Associate Director of the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, a nonprofit organization that serves as the national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) certification agency. He has held leadership and faculty positions in Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and The George Washington University.

Dr. Margolis holds a PhD in administrative and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh and has over 20 years of clinical experience as a field and flight paramedic. He is the author of over a hundred publications and is a frequent speaker in a wide array of topics in health policy, leadership development, emergency medicine, and disasters/public health emergency preparedness. He remains active in numerous outdoor activities, including skiing, SCUBA diving, and alpine mountaineering. Despite over a decade of effort, he is still a beginner on the acoustic guitar. (Updated 5/26)

Mona Rahman serves as the Deputy Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows Program and is a member of the Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs team at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program, and is active in alumni engagement to ensure that the impact of the fellowship experience extends well beyond the fellows’ time in Washington, DC.

She comes to the NAM after a career in Public Health Education, primarily in the Tobacco Control space, having worked on the Truth Campaign (tobacco prevention) and the Become An Ex Campaign (tobacco cessation) for many years at Truth Initiative. Ms. Rahman also has experience as an NAM/FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellow, where she was embedded with the Office of Health Communication and Education at the Center for Tobacco Products in the 2014-2015 cohort, and brings a unique perspective to NAM’s fellowship programs. During her time at FDA, she served as a Creative and Strategic Advisor on a range of tobacco prevention campaigns including The Real Cost (general market), This Free Life (LGBTQ-focused) and Fresh Empire (multicultural-focused).

Ms. Rahman holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Culture and Communication from New York University.

Andrew Cheng is the senior administrative and financial specialist for the NAM Office of Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs. He manages the operational needs and the onboarding process, oversees budgets and executes financial and contractual obligations, coordinates travel arrangements and organizes meeting logistics, as well as maintains the customer relations management system for a number of programs, including the RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program, the NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence Program, the NAM Fellowships, and the NAM Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence Program. Prior to joining the NAM, Andrew served as clinical administrator and executive assistant for the Speech and Hearing Center at The George Washington University. He managed day-to-day operations, administered the annual budget and executed financial obligations, as well as spearheaded various projects such as a centralized patient scheduling system, a modernized filing system for patient and personnel records, and an outreach program for promoting public-sector services. He also worked at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, where he supervised box office operations, increased membership sales and annual gifts, promoted community outreach, and ensured functionality of exhibits and programming. Andrew received his B.A. in political science and history at DePaul University in Chicago. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and writing political commentary and satire, participating in travel blogs and forums, experiencing new foodie adventures, supporting his adoptive koalas Cooper and Aster in Australia, and traveling to the ends of the Earth.

Outreach and Engagement Specialist
Marissa Gioffre is the Outreach and Engagement Specialist for the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program. Her main focus is on program recruitment, communications, and alumni engagement.

Marissa has a background in education, community engagement, and nonprofit activism. She most recently served as a museum educator at the International Spy Museum and Director of Projects & Programming for America250PA. Her previous experience also includes community organizing positions on various youth advocacy, public health, and presidential campaigns, as well as teaching middle school social studies and theology in Philadelphia.

Marissa holds an M.Ed. in secondary education from St. Joseph’s University and a BA in Global Studies and History from Saint Elizabeth University.