Health Leadership Impact Fellowship

Verdant R. Julius, MPH is an aspiring applied epidemiologist who works at the intersections of research, policy, and community engagement to improve maternal and child health, with a focus on addressing health disparities in Black communities. His work spans a healthcare system, community organizations, academic institutions, philanthropy, and the NC Department of Health and Human Services, developing a strong expertise in public health practice and research. Across these spaces, he has led independent research projects, policy-related advocacy, and community-based health education programs addressing: adverse childhood experiences, sexual health and HIV prevention, maternal dietary patterns and lactation, prenatal and postpartum care, access to care, and social determinants of health.

Julius is currently an incoming PhD Student in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. His research sits at the intersection of social and maternal and child health epidemiology. He is specifically interested in how structural and social determinants, such as health policy and services, economic inequality, and structural violence, shape child development and youth mental health and disparities in maternal health outcomes. He also has a growing interest in field epidemiology and public health surveillance, aiming to mitigate the burden of environmental disasters, conflict zones, and infectious disease outbreaks on maternal and child health outcomes.

Born in Silver Springs, Maryland and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Julius graduated from Mallard Creek High School. After high school, he earned his bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master of Public Health in maternal, child, and family health from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.