Jennifer Carmona DrPH, MPH brings 25 years of experience in public health policy and practice to Raise the Rail. She believes that structural interventions – like clean drinking water, smoking restrictions, and building codes – have the greatest impact on the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Jennifer is a lifelong New Yorker and fan of the NY Mets.

B.A. Columbia University

M.P.H. Columbia University

D.P.H. City University of New York

Joshua Heller MD, a psychiatrist based in Albany, New York, is dedicated to working with the chronic and persistently mentally ill. With a passion for mental health advocacy, Dr. Heller combines his clinical expertise with outreach to support people who struggle with reliably accessing mental health services.

B.A. Antioch College

M.D. Albany Medical College

Ed Kopel is a licensed architect and a suicide prevention advocate. Having struggled for decades in the aftermath of familial suicides and provoked by the preventable deaths in Hudson Yards, Ed is now ready to deploy his experience and expertise to save lives.

B.A. Columbia University

M.Arch Yale University

Andrea Salwen Kopel MPP began her career at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and has spent the last 25-plus years working to improve the lives of women, children, and families in New York City’s non-profit sector for some of the city’s most beloved organizations, including Citymeals-on-Wheels, the Big Apple Circus, and Room to Grow. She currently serves as Executive Director of National Council of Jewish Women New York (NCJW NY).

B.A. Barnard College

M.P.P. Harvard University

Jon Sarnoff lives in Brooklyn and works as a general pediatrician. In his life and role as a primary care provider, he has seen the toll that depression and suicide can take on families. He sees Raise the Rail as an extraordinary vehicle designed to effect change in government policy, regulations, and public awareness.

B.A. Princeton University

M.B.A. Columbia University

M.D. SUNY Stonybrook