Our Team

Dr. McDonnell is a public health program evaluation and implementation specialist with over 15 years’ experience working with community groups, public health agencies, and health care systems both locally and globally. Dr. McDonnell’s expertise lies in using mixed methods to look at complex public health issues and programs. Her most recent work is leading a team to evaluate gender-based violence in immigrant communities, development and testing of a community-centered FGM/C prevention project, evaluating the National Domestic Violence Hotline/loveisrespect Helpline, and evaluating multi-systems changes in the Clinical Translational Science Institute with Children’s National and GWU. 

Donald Strong, MBA MPH is the Director of Research Coordination and a Practicum Director in the Department of Prevention and Community Health. Mr. Strong works closely with health departments, health care systems, managed care organizations, foundations, public health associations, and nonprofit organizations to develop research, funding and publication opportunities for GWSPH faculty. His collaborative efforts have been key in awards from CDC, NIH, CMS, DC DOH, ASTHO, and HHS. Don works with nonprofit organizations, health departments and health care providers serving the African immigrant community in the DMV, in the fight to eliminate the practice of FGM/C. Mr. Strong has over 20 years of experience as a Federal Health Care Contractor/Consultant. He worked with Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living and Healthcare Provider Systems seeking VA and DOD contracts.

Angela Peabody is the Executive Director and Founder of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, a 501c3 organization founded on the principles of eliminating violence and injustices against women and girls.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia University.  After a celebrated career as a Television Broadcast Journalist in Liberia, West Africa, and Special Press Secretary to the country’s first woman Minister of Agriculture, Angela immigrated to the United States, following the bloody and brutal military coup in her native Liberia.  The first Liberian woman to ever pen and publish a full-length novel, Angela is now an accomplished and award-winning author. 

Khadijah Abdullah is the Founder and Executive Director of RAHMA (Reaching All HIV+ Muslims In America) and holds a Public Health degree. Khadijah became an HIV/AIDS Activist in college and later founded RAHMA in 2012. Due to her efforts she was invited to the White House and had the privilege to meet President Barack Obama. 

Through RAHMA, she has also served clients highly affected by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She is thankful to be a part of this partnership with GWU and passionate about advocating for a world where every Woman and Girl has autonomy over their own bodies.

Hina Shaikh, JD, MPH, is a research director at Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWSPH) at George Washington University. She co-directs the globally focused Center for Social Well-Being and Development at GWSPH. Ms. Shaikh has conducted qualitative research in multiple public health efforts, and advises on requirements for human subjects research. Her areas of focus have included violence prevention against children/women, social norms related to maternal behaviors, and trauma among Central American immigrants to the U.S. Ms. Shaikh's more recent research involve effects of climate change communication, and the development of an online toolkit to help health professionals provide better care to women affected by FGM/C. Prior to joining GWSPH, Ms. Shaikh practiced corporate law and economic development law/policy.

Krishna is currently a Doctor in public health (DrPH) candidate at George Washington University and serves as a research associate for the FGM/C educational toolkit project. Before joining the DrPH program, she worked at the San Francisco Department of Public Health on government relations, policy development, and community engagement. Previously, she has worked on multiple international health projects - in India on domestic violence prevention, in Tanzania on school-based health education, and in Kenya on HIV and children’s health. Overall, she is passionate about working to address health and social inequities globally and within the U.S. Krishna holds an MPH from UC Berkeley and a BSPH from UNC Chapel Hill.

Dr. Khan is an established health program analyst whose career, advocacy, and research has centered on global and domestic issues concerning the health of women and children. Dr. Khan currently serves as the Network Coordinator for the US End FGM/C Network, where she is keen on building connections with Network members and collaborating organizations, works closely with the Network’s Steering Committee to operationalize the Network’s core priorities, and manages the day-to-day operations of the Network.

Prior to this role, she served as project director for the community centered FGM/C prevention project at GWSPH, and Senior Fellow in the American Public Health Association (APHA), Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section. Dr. Khan is dedicated to raising awareness on FGM/C and protecting women and girls from this harmful practice. On behalf of the GWSPH FGM/C project team, Dr. Khan has received the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Award from the Global Women’s Institute two years running, and The Nashman Prize for Community Engaged Participatory Research.

Shima is an End FGM/C intern with RAHMA and an MPH candidate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research interests include infectious diseases among vulnerable populations, substance use, and refugee and women’s health. Most recently, Ms. Idries has researched treatment options for people who inject drugs living with chronic Hepatitis C infection in Baltimore City. Prior to that, she’s conducted research in Lusaka, Zambia evaluating the impact of alcohol use on tuberculosis prevalence in HIV positive individuals. Shima also serves newly arrived Sudanese refugee families in Baltimore City as a family mentor and English tutor. For fun, she enjoys dancing, traveling, and Netflix.

Mimi Ismail is a research associate at the Milken Institute School of Public Health. Her past experience includes creating educational materials on newborn screening for state health officials, investigating contraceptive access in Washington, D.C., and researching the insurance needs of cystic fibrosis patients in America. Prior to joining Milken, she worked on projects dealing with the Syrian conflict at the U.S. Department of State. She holds an MPH from George Washington University and a BA and MA in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She speaks Arabic and Turkish.

Kelsey Oliver recently finished her B.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in global public health from GWU. Kelsey has experience in design, monitoring and evaluation, grant writing, program implementation, as well as fundraising management. She has worked with NGOs and social startups on global public health systems, access to health care, social entrepreneurship, women empowerment, and education. Her most recent work was in Kampala, Uganda, training young women and girls on vocational skills and business expertise in order to lead self-sustaining lives and escape the vicious cycle of poverty in Uganda.