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 is the Deputy Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows Program at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). In this role, she oversees strategy, recruitment, partnerships, and the program’s unique 3.5-month intensive health policy orientation. She is deeply committed to expanding who sees themselves in policy spaces—ensuring that leaders from all backgrounds not only can access these opportunities, but feel a true sense of belonging within them.
Mona’s approach to leadership is shaped by a defining moment when a fellow told her, “Without you, I would not be here.” That experience continues to anchor her work—affirming her belief that representation, mentorship, and intentional outreach can transform not only individual trajectories, but the systems those individuals go on to influence.
Before joining NAM, Mona built a career in public health education focused on tobacco prevention and cessation. At Truth Initiative, she led nationally recognized campaigns such as Truth and Become An EX, helping to shift both individual behaviors and broader cultural narratives around tobacco use. She later served as an NAM/FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellow, embedded in the Office of Health Communication and Education at FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products where she served as a creative and strategic advisor on major public health campaigns including The Real Cost, This Free Life, and Fresh Empire.
Across her career, Mona has worked at the intersection of policy, communications, and equity—guided by a belief that lasting change requires not just evidence and strategy, but courageous leadership and investment in people. She has led multidisciplinary teams through growth and change, fostering environments where varied perspectives are not only welcomed, but essential.
Mona 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.