Carissa Novak manages the Pandemics and Climate Change portfolios at HGHI. Prior to joining HGHI, she worked at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment with an ecology and infectious disease research team, where she spent a significant amount of time working in rural Madagascar.

She has also worked at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, managing a sexual assault research network; leading the first ever prospective study of sexual assault trauma in adult women. She has spent time living and working in rural Kenya and Uganda, studying barriers to reproductive healthcare, specifically in seeking treatment for HPV and Cervical Cancer. She received her Master of Science in Global Health from Duke University’s Global Health Institute, and her BA in International Relations from Auburn University.

Luke graduated from Saint Anselm College in May, 2019 where he studied sociology, economics, and public policy. Before joining HGHI, Luke was involved with several nonprofit and public service initiatives where he gained experience in program development, research, and entrepreneurship.

Between 2013 and 2017, Luke co-founded and managed the nonprofit Project PLAY NH which sought to increase youth access to organized sports in Manchester, NH. More recently, Luke served as the Director of Program for HOBY NH and was committed to several positions at the Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC). At SYSC, he researched, developed, and managed programs that aimed to lower the youth recidivism rate. At HGHI, Luke supports the Misinformation, Climate Change, Pandemics, and Systems of Oppression portfolios.