{"id":9835,"date":"2026-07-16T12:02:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/?p=9835"},"modified":"2026-07-16T12:02:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:02:36","slug":"pih-avenel-joseph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/pih-avenel-joseph\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast episode 54: Avenel Joseph"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/share.transistor.fm\/e\/117d9974\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-grid wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9d260ee2 wp-block-group-is-layout-grid\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"block-2fff173e-3a4d-4dc6-b261-0abc5fcc2200\"><a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.transistor.fm\/pioneers-in-health\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-11.png\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is RSS-Feed.png\" class=\"wp-image-6580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-11.png 320w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-11-300x75.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"block-cc066fe7-7bae-4813-b4c5-2a537f6ba338\"><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/pioneers-in-health\/id1743590014\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-9.png\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Apple-Podcasts.png\" class=\"wp-image-6578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-9.png 320w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-9-300x75.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"block-d84c7149-75a6-4eb7-a2b9-8ecad6ba840f\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3jka7vMKpBCEacwnrhdLgw\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-10.png\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Spotify.png\" class=\"wp-image-6579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-10.png 320w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-10-300x75.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"block-62fca925-59ab-4ffa-ba8d-7087a7255ec5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/7e986df9-578e-416a-b3bf-3c78473c70a8\/pioneers-in-health\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-8.png\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Amazon-Music.png\" class=\"wp-image-6577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-8.png 320w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-8-300x75.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-b1457c2f-42fe-42d3-b614-bdbca33fa59c\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to the <a href=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/pioneers-in-health\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"6150\">Pioneers in Health podcast<\/a>. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 20%\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In episode 54, we interview Avenel Joseph, Ph.D. She serves as vice president for policy at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). She provides strategic leadership to the foundation&#8217;s programming, leads its Washington presence and guides the foundation&#8217;s policy direction.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kansasreflector.com\/author\/sherman-smith\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9836 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-768x1154.jpg 768w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-1363x2048.jpg 1363w, https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/AvenelHeadshot-scaled.jpg 1703w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode, she shares how her early aspirations were to become a veterinarian. She entered the pre-vet program at Penn State University. However, after a number of internships, she realized that wasn&#8217;t the path for her. She decided to pursue the research route instead. So after graduating with an animal sciences degree, she pursued a master&#8217;s degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and then ultimately graduated with a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from Emory University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She loved working in the laboratory and assumed her future would be in the lab and research. However, in 2009, she took a chance on a congressional fellowship sponsored through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It brought scientists to Capitol Hill to inform policymaking. It was just a one-year opportunity, but it changed the trajectory of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The experience helped me to see how clearly science and policy are interconnected \u2014 how research shapes laws, budgets and systems that affect people&#8217;s daily lives,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And I think my scientific training grounded me in the importance of rigorous data. You can&#8217;t understand what the needs are without good data. You can&#8217;t come up with solutions without the good data. And I think when I was on the Hill, I saw firsthand both how science and evidence can inform smart policymaking, and how the absence of that can really lead to some harmful decisions.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She shares how that experience ultimately led to her obtaining her current position at RWJF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode, she also discusses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>RWJF\u2019s mission and work<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why voting rights are important to health and well-being<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Efforts to support the ballot-initiative process and voter participation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Negative consequences of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or HR1<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>RWJF\u2019s One Nation Overcharged story-sharing campaign<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What gives her hope<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Avenel is an innovative leader in health care policy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-1b1c93a7-add0-4bfc-a94e-9cc5b459d210\"><strong>Please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/pioneers-in-health\/\"><em>Pioneers in Health<\/em> page<\/a> on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes. <\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-fe48e5de wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/pioneers-in-health\/\" style=\"background-color:#1f2d4a\">View other episodes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen now Listen below or on any of your favorite podcast services. Like and subscribe to stay up-to-date with each new episode! Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health. In episode 54, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9835"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9867,"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9835\/revisions\/9867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthfund.org\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}