GIH Board

Avenel Joseph, PhD, joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in early 2020 as the Vice President for Policy, where she leads the Foundation’s Policy office and heads its Washington presence. Previously, Joseph served for more than 10 years shaping public policy in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. She began her career on Capitol Hill in 2009 in the U.S. House of Representatives where she worked in both a personal office and on the Natural Resources Committee. In July 2013 she moved to the Senate as the Chief Health Advisor for Senator Edward J. Markey, managing a comprehensive health care portfolio before transitioning to become his Director of Policy and Oversight. Joseph received her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at Emory University; graduated with an MS in Developmental Toxicology from the University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign; and earned her BS in Animal Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University.