Fueling Advocacy through Public Health Passion

Jay Franzone started his journey in public health before he even knew what it was. His path to public health began after being labeled with "high-risk homosexual behavior" by a doctor. This experience fueled his advocacy to overturn the federal ban on blood donations from gay men. Jay shares his journey, how he balances work, and what drives his work.   Jay is a Bloomberg Fellow and Master of Public Health (MPH) student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he focuses on violence prevention. As the National Partnerships Manager at Everytown for Gun Safety, Jay builds coalitions with national organizations and leads culturally informed engagement strategies to address the root causes of gun violence.  Now based in Hawai'i, Jay is passionate about dismantling biased health policies and improving access to care in rural and underserved communities.