With over twenty-five years’ experience in public health and education, Lori joined Hip Hop Public Health in 2017 as the organization’s inaugural Executive Director. Her experience in developing and scaling innovative health, fitness and wellness programs is precisely aligned with HHPH’s vision to empower youth around the globe with the knowledge and skills to make healthier choices, reducing preventable health conditions and the rising tide of childhood obesity.

Before joining HHPH, Lori served as Vice President of Healthy Lifestyles at the YMCA of Greater New York, spearheading all aspects of the preventative health and wellness portfolio for the largest YMCA in the United States with a key focus on health innovation, development of youth fitness programming and scaling chronic disease prevention programs to meet the diverse needs of New York City's communities. Lori was the principal architect of the award winning Y-MVP Teen Fitness Challenge – an innovative program blending fun fitness activities with an interactive mobile app designed to recognize, reward and motivate NYC's young people to increase their daily levels of Moderate to Vigorous Physical activity.

Prior to joining the Y in 2011, Lori served as the Executive Director of the Office of School Wellness Programs at New York City’s Department of Education, established under the Bloomberg administration in collaboration with NYC’s Health Department. She implemented policies and designed initiatives to increase the quality and quantity of physical and health education for 1.1 million students in 1,700 public schools. Highlights under Lori’s tenure include the creation of a city-wide sports and fitness league for hundreds of middle schools, introducing classroom-based physical activity curriculum, launching school wellness council grant programs, and spearheading the implementation of NYC FITNESSGRAM, an annual student fitness assessment, which is now one of the country’s largest web-based longitudinal data base on childhood obesity and physical fitness.

Raised in Brooklyn, Lori attended New York City’s public schools and earned a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Communications and Graphic Design, and a M.A. in Physical Education from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, where she is currently an Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Exercise Science, Health Studies, Physical Education and Sport. Lori personally embraces physical activity and her love of music into her daily life as a yoga enthusiast, an aspiring DJ and a spinning instructor who still teaches a weekly cycling class at Crunch Fitness in Brooklyn.

The Javdan Firm PLLC (Legal Counsel)

Ray Javdan is a veteran entertainment attorney, advising everyone from emerging- to award-winning artists, producers, writers, composers and publishing companies, on intellectual property, licensing, and contractual issues in music, musical theater, film, television, internet, and other platforms. A graduate of Fordham University School of Law, he spent 7 years with the renowned international law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, representing some of the world’s largest media companies, prior to starting his own full-service boutique practice. As an advocate to artists, and the son of a physician father and nutritionist-philanthropist mother, he is proud to contribute to the outreach efforts of Hip Hop Public Health.

Dr. Gillian Barclay’s 25-year career extends across the public health, health care, academic and philanthropic sectors and she is currently the President’s Specialist for Academic Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Gillian credits her personal and professional life to strong family support, her parents and four siblings. “My parents are my role models and champions. They taught us that the quality and depth of the footprints that you leave are as important as those that you choose to follow. I hope that the footprints that I have left so far can help others and make my family proud.”

Gillian is the former vice president of the Aetna Foundation where she conceptualized and led national and international investments in community wellbeing, quality health care and health equity. Gillian’s work in philanthropy also includes the W.K. Kellogg Foundation where she worked to improve the health of vulnerable and low-income populations. There she held responsibility for impact and evaluation for the foundation’s investments in health and special cross-sectoral initiatives. Her professional experience includes a leadership role within the Pan American Health Organization, the regional body of the World Health Organization. In this role, she worked to strengthen health systems with governments, policymakers and non-governmental organizations across multiple sectors including education, health, human services and finance.

Beyond her experience in philanthropy and government, Gillian has taught at the Harvard School of Public Health and currently teaches in the graduate leadership program at the School of Public Policy, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She completed her postdoctoral research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, along with a doctorate in public health from Harvard University with concentrations in policy and the social determinants of health. She holds a master’s in public health from the University of Michigan, a doctorate in dental surgery from the University of Detroit Mercy and completed her practice residency at New York Hospital. Her undergraduate degree was earned at the University of the West Indies. She is also an active member of national, state and local boards and working groups committed to promoting health, health equity and economic development.

With twenty years of experience in leadership development, organizational culture and strategic diversity and inclusion initiatives, Eric Pliner is the CEO of the London-based leadership strategy firm, YSC Consulting. Eric has designed and implemented leadership strategy in partnership with some of the world’s best-known leaders, companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. His particular expertise includes fostering high-performing leadership teams, onboarding and executive coaching for CEOs, and cultivating successful CEO and Board relationships. Eric has coached and developed leaders and teams around the world, across such fields as life sciences and healthcare; advertising, media, and entertainment; fashion and luxury; private equity; financial services; energy and utilities; government, non-profit social change and more.

Eric began his career as a specialist in comprehensive health education and coordinator of the history-making Safe Schools Program for LGBT Students with the Massachusetts Department of Education. He later served young people throughout New York City as the Coordinator of Arts & Media Education Programs with the NYC LGBT Community Center. Eric then spent seven years supporting 1700 schools and one million public school students via the New York City Department of Education and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, serving as Comprehensive Health Education Coordinator for Manhattan and the Bronx, Deputy Director of Fitness & Physical Education for the five boroughs, and Founding Director of the city’s first Youth Development Resource Center. During this period, he co-authored the U.S. National Standards for Health Education (2nd Edition) and served as an adjunct professor of health education at Hunter College, City University of New York. After completing an MBA in Management & Organizational Behavior, Eric became Director of Organizational Talent Management and Development for the Department of Education before joining London-based leadership strategy firm YSC Consulting.

Eric is also a graduate of Tufts University (American Studies / Peace & Justice Studies) and a member of the Dramatists’ Guild of America. He is the author/co-author of a wide range of published academic, creative, and professional works, including award-winning case studies on diversity and leadership and a theatrical parody for adults of children’s television cartoons. Eric lives in Brooklyn, New York, where years of coaching around the world and teaching throughout the northeastern U.S. have nonetheless left him largely unprepared for his role as father of three awesome, adorable, and mischievous kids.

Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, FACP is the Dr. Adolph & Margaret Professor of Medicine & Population Health, Professor of Global Public Health, Chief Division of Health & Behavior, and Director of the Center for Healthful Behavior at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine. Dr. Ogedegbe is a Member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is Founding Vice Dean and Chief Medical Officer for NYU College of Global Public Health and currently Associate Vice Chancellor for NYU Global Network Academic Planning, where he oversees research programs for undergraduates at NYU global sites across 11 countries. After his residency training in internal medicine, Dr. Ogedegbe completed his fellowship in Health Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology at Cornell and then received his MPH from Columbia University School of Public Health. Prior to his current position, he was faculty at Cornell Weill Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Ogedegbe is a physician-scientist and a leading expert in minority health and health disparities research targeted at reducing the burden of chronic diseases in minority populations. His expertise is in the implementation and translation of evidence-based public health interventions into clinical care and community settings. He has expanded his work globally, to reduce the burden of heart disease in Africa. His research (over $30 million) is funded by the National Institutes of Health; the Center for Diseases Control, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy (AHRQ), and he has authored over 270 publications, editorials, and book chapters in leading medical and public health journals. He has served on numerous scientific expert panels including, the NIH, the American Heart Association, the Institute of Medicine, the Centers for Diseases Control, the World Health Organization, and the European Union Research Directorate.
Dr. Ogedegbe is a member and fellow of numerous scientific societies including the American College of Physicians; American Heart Association, American College of Physicians, American Society of Hypertension, and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine. His work has been recognized by receipt of several research and mentoring awards including the prestigious John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from AHRQ, the Daniel Savage Science Award from the Association of Black Cardiologists, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Herbert Nickens Award for Mentoring, Mid-Atlantic SGIM Junior Investigator Award and New York University Making A Difference Award.

Dr. Noble attended Vanderbilt University where in 1997 he was the general manager of WRVU Nashville 91.1 and subsequently completed his undergraduate studies in math and chemistry, followed by medical school at Emory University. His graduate medical training included internal medicine internship, neurology residency including chief resident in neurology, and finally neuroepidemiology and behavioral neurology fellowship, all at Columbia University Medical Center. He is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center, was initially based at Harlem Hospital Center, and now is a member of the Taub Institute for Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and the G.H. Sergievsky Center at Columbia University. Dr. Noble is recognized as a leader in neurological education at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition to providing care to general neurologic patients as well as those with dementia, his research interests include health literacy, sports-related concussion, and systemic inflammatory factors as contributors to dementia health disparities. Dr. Noble is the president of Arts & Minds, a non-profit organization promoting well-being for dementia patients and their caregivers via art-centered, museum-based experiences in upper Manhattan. He has worked with Dr. Williams in developing the research arm of the Hip Hop Public Health programs since the inception of Hip Hop Stroke in 2005.

Born in Romania and raised in the United States, Tiberius transcends many cultural boundaries with a keen interest in education and youth development. Through the various non-profit organizations on which he has served as an advisor or board member, he endeavors and delivers a broad interest and capability to inspire people to make a difference. These include Junior Achievement, where he was an instructor and leader during his free time in college, as well as the Alex Fund Foundation, where in collaboration with Leslie and Ethan Hawke among others, he helped grow the organization to provide schools and education to impoverished children in Romania through an ingenious program tying school attendance to rewards for mothers in both jobs and job training and food-related programs. In his focus on music and youth, he is also on Board of the New York City Opera and the YMCA Junior Board. In his professional life, Tiberius leads the KPMG M&A Integration and Separation practice for New York. He has worked on more than 150 acquisitions and divestitures across the world and across industries that are worth more than a trillion dollars. In his personal life, he and his loving wife Elena enjoy travel, sailing, and the company of amazing friends.

Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn is the Executive Director of Pilot Light, a Chicago-based nonprofit that partners chefs and teachers to build Common Core-compatible curriculum on food basics. Alex began her career at Harlem Hospital in New York City, where she was deeply engaged in public health education for urban, underserved communities. Recognizing the power of the creative arts to reach people, she began to develop and implement public health programming that harnessed contemporary urban music genres to facilitate healthy behavior change among communities with the Hip Hop Public Health team. She has also served as a member of the faculty at Columbia University’s Neurological Institute, where she managed two federally-funded community-based studies before coming to Pilot Light. In 2014, she was recognized by the Society for Public Health Education as one of 30 Under 30 in Health Education and in 2015 she received the Society’s Oberteuffer Scholarship, which recognizes a doctoral student in health education whose work promises to advance the health of children and youth. Alex is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and earned her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Teachers College of Columbia University.

Saju Joseph, MD FACS, completed his medical school education at Tufts University School of Medicine. He then went on to pursue training in surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center under the leadership of Dr. Josef E. Fischer. During his training, Dr. Joseph won the prestigious Harvard Housestaff and Fellows Teaching award. Through Dr. Fischer’s mentorship, Dr. Joseph had the unique experience of doing his fellowship in Hepato-Biliary and Pancreatic Surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh under the tutelage of Professor O. James Garden.

Since completing his training, Dr. Joseph has worked in academic surgery for his entire career. He has had the opportunity to serve as a visiting professor for the Colombian Association of Surgery and as an advisor to Governor Abbott (Texas) regarding emergency and trauma services. He was also the Vice Chair of Surgery at Texas Tech, where he was instrumental in establishing the residency in the Permian Basin and an acclaimed rural surgery training program. Dr. Joseph serves on the editorial board of six journals and is a reviewer for numerous others. He was the editor for a recently published book on Point-of-Care-Ultrasound for First Responders. Recently, he established the ACGME accredited general surgery residency at Valley Health System in Las Vegas NV and serves as an Associate Professor of Surgery.

Dr. Joseph has worked with numerous healthcare businesses and private equity bankers, raised money for charitable organizations, and travelled to 3rd world countries to expand medical education and outreach. His goal is to use technology and innovation to enhance healthcare delivery, prevent illness, and save lives throughout the world.