Project 2025 and its Alarming Impact on Public Health

Elizabeth Sommers PhD MPH LicAc is Senior Acupuncturist and Researcher in the Integrative Medicine and Health Disparities Program of Boston Medical Center. At Boston University School of Medicine, she is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine. She holds degrees from Boston University School of Public Health and New England School of Acupuncture. She coordinates an acupuncture clinic at Tufts Medical Center that provides free care for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.As an acupuncture researcher, she has published and lectured internationally in the areas of acupuncture detoxification related to substance use disorder, health economics, and integrative care for individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

She co-founded the American Public Health Association’s Section on Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices, and currently serves as co-chair of APHA’s Intersectional Council Opioid Workgroup. A public health advocate, she is committed to ensuring that healthcare including wellness is a right not a privilege.

Chris Chanyasulkit, PhD, MPH  is grounded in a strong belief in eliminating the structural barriers to equity for vulnerable populations. Chris holds leadership positions with local, state, regional and national governance and civic engagement organizations, working to promote racial, gender, and health equity. She served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Massachusetts Asian American Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women where she advocated for the needs of Asian Americans and Women throughout the Commonwealth. Dr. Chanyasulkit has served as a Human Services Specialist and Assistant Director of Diversity in the town of Brookline’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations. She designed and delivered graduate public health courses at the Simmons University Department of Public Health. She also serves as an adjunct Assistant Professor at Temple University, where she teaches Public Health Advocacy in the College of Public Health. Chris earned a B.A. in Biology and Art History from Boston University, an M.P.H. (with a concentration in maternal and child health care) from the Boston University School of Public Health, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Northeastern University, where she conducted research on health disparities. In addition to her advocacy and scholarly pursuits, Dr. Chanyasulkit is President of the American Public Health Association (APHA), an elected Library Trustee of the Public Libraries of Brookline, a Brookline Community Emergency Response Team member, and a Brookline Medical Reserve Corps member.