Shantal Saenz, MPH - PHI / CDC

Shantal Saenz, MPH is a PHI/CDC Global Health Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow with the CDC Gender and Youth Team under the Center of Global Health in the Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis in Atlanta, Georgia. She will be supporting HIV epidemic control in CDC-supported countries, through various prevention initiatives such as DREAMS, adolescent, and youth friendly health services (AYFHS), violence prevention and response, as well as biomedical interventions. Shantal graduated with a Master of Public Health from New York University School of Global Public Health and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Health Sector Management and Policy from the University of Miami. Shantal is a native Spanish speaker and is learning Portuguese and French. Prior to her fellowship, she was a Program Manager at Iris House, Inc. As a Program Manager, she managed a grant that coordinated, and monitored the YOU! (Young, Outstanding, and Unique!) Program overseeing all of Harlem and South Bronx. She monitored and evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and procedures, as well as assigned personnel and her staff. She participated in recruiting for, organizing and coordinating mobile testing, conducting targeted outreach, providing educational workshops and counseling groups, promoting services via multiple social media channels, conducting HIV/Hepatitis C/STI testing, mental health and substance abuse screening, record and assist in data collection and program evaluation. Furthermore, she has recently co-authored a manuscript “Ganja Mamas,” that has been submitted to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Shantal is an advocate and an activist, always fighting to address health disparities among minority/migrant communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and low-income communities, both domestically and globally. She is eager to join the team, continue to learn and grow, as well as make an impact in the world.