Olivia Chan

Born and raised in New York City, Olivia graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in public health and minor in social policy, where she was a Woodrow Wilson Research Fellow, examining barriers to healthy eating and food access through interviews with soup kitchen guests. Her interests center on addressing the social determinants of health—especially in regard to food and housing insecurity, the environment, and educational opportunities—and strengthening our social safety nets to promote health equity. Olivia has worked on healthcare policy with the Century Foundation and served as a human services worker at the Franciscan Center of Baltimore, an emergency outreach center. She has also worked at the Center for a Livable Future on city and state innovations to improve access to healthy foods and supported research on the Philadelphia beverage tax, housing safety in Baltimore, and behavior change interventions for family planning.

Field placement: Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Policy placement: The Brookings Institution

Washington, D.C.