Alumni News: Spring 2026
Alumni honors, career moves, and items of note
Magdalena Cerdá, DrPH, ’06, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology (CDE) at the Yale School of Public Health. Cerdá is widely recognized for her national leadership in social epidemiology, particularly for her groundbreaking work on intersecting epidemics involving substance use, violence, and other chronic diseases. Her research has shaped national conversations about how social and legislative environments drive chronic epidemics such as the current overdose crisis. Through innovative methodologies—including machine learning and advanced predictive modeling—she has helped build the evidence base that informs more effective, equitable public health monitoring and policy. Her recent work joining health policy tools, community-based research, and epidemiologic methods to identify effective approaches to prevent opioid use disorder and overdose exemplifies her interdisciplinary approach to the epidemiology of chronic disease.
Tariana Little, DrPH ’20, named to Boston Business Journal‘s 2026 list of 40 Under 40—which honors young professionals who are executives, innovators, and entrepreneurs and represent the region’s next generation of business leaders. “The older I get, I feel more urgency and responsibility. To me, leadership is about impact. I strive for impact as a parent, a community member, a business owner, and a (global) citizen. We all need to work together to ensure a better tomorrow for all of us,” she said.
Sophie Greenebaum, MPH ’22, hired as associate program officer of monitoring, evaluation, and learning at RIZE Massachusetts Foundation (RIZE), a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the opioid overdose crisis in Massachusetts. Greenebaum, of Wakefield, will lead the implementation of program evaluation and learning strategies to understand and strengthen RIZE’s impact.
Susanne Mitschke, MPH ’25, has been named to Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 500 list for the second consecutive year—this time in the Artificial Intelligence & Data category. Mitschke founded Citruslabs, a decentralized full-service contract research organization that designs and manages IRB-approved clinical trials for consumer health and wellness brands. “What started as a clinical research company has evolved into an AI-driven platform disrupting how consumer brands generate scientific evidence, from supplements and skincare to functional foods and pet health,” she said.
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