About Us
Who We Are
CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, advances a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. CityHealth regularly evaluates cities on the number and strength of their policies.
Our Staff
Katrina Forrest, JD
Katrina is the Co-Executive Director of CityHealth. Before joining CityHealth, Katrina served as both Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for At-Large D.C. Councilmember David Grosso. In that role, she drafted more than 50 pieces of original legislation and was responsible for leveraging community and business relationships to drive the Councilmember’s legislative agenda and policy priorities. In 2020, she received the Community Champion Award from the District of Columbia’s Behavioral Health Association for her advocacy on behalf of D.C. residents facing mental illness and/or addiction. Prior to her work in local and state government, Katrina served as a Compliance Manager with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), where she worked to eradicate discriminatory practices in housing and banking. Katrina holds a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice from George Mason University and a law degree from UIC’s John Marshall Law School.
Catherine D. Patterson
Catherine is the Co-Executive Director of CityHealth. Prior to joining the CityHealth team, Catherine served as the Managing Director for Urban Health and Policy at the de Beaumont Foundation. In that role, Catherine developed, managed, and led all work related to policy interventions that sought to improve the health and wellness of urban residents. She also managed the Foundation’s grant portfolio and served as Program Team Lead. Before joining the de Beaumont Foundation, Catherine worked at the Pew Charitable Trusts, where she led campaigns to improve children’s dental health across the country. Catherine began her career as an early childhood educator, working directly with children and families.
Akeem Anderson
Akeem is the Government Affairs Director for CityHealth. Prior to joining CityHealth, Akeem served as the Director of the Committee on Education for the Council of the District of Columbia. In this role, Akeem set the legislative, budget, and performance oversight agenda for all education agencies in the District of Columbia. Prior to this, his work focused on school turnaround efforts. A 2008 Greater New Orleans Teach For America Corps Member, Akeem taught in New Orleans schools before working for TFA-New Orleans as a Manager Corps and Partner Relations. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from Mercer University.
Tom Martin
Tom is the Director of Communications for CityHealth, where he works to grow the reach, influence, and impact of our work helping cities improve the health outcomes of millions of Americans. Before joining CityHealth, Tom worked in both the private and NGO sectors in a variety of communications, brand and digital roles. His past experience includes leading communications teams at the National League of Cities (NLC) and at CTIA, the wireless industry’s trade group. In 2018, Tom earned recognition as a top communications leader in Washington, D.C., when he was awarded first place in PR Daily’s Media Relations Awards for a successful campaign to block the White House from cutting critical funding for veterans.
David Jernigan, PhD
David brings 30 years of health policy experience to help advance, advise, and adapt CityHealth’s package of policies. David is a professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. He previously directed the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and co-directed the Maryland Collaborative to Reduce College Drinking and Related Problems, a statewide effort involving 15 institutions of higher education committed to reducing alcohol-related problems on campus and in the surrounding communities. He has served as an advisor to the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), and has written more than 130 peer-reviewed articles, co-authored three books, and contributed chapters to six books.
Our Advisors
Clarence Anthony
CEO and Executive Director
National League of Cities
Steven Bosacker
Director of GMF Cities
German Marshall Fund
Jonathan Fielding, MD
Distinguished Professor
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Geffen School of Medicine
Marla Gold, MD
Professor and Dean Emerita, Health Management and Policy
Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University
Scott Hall
Senior Vice President for Civic and Community Initiatives
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Rodney Harrell, PhD
Housing Lead
AARP Public Policy Institute
Patrice Harris, MD
Immediate Past President
American Medical Association
Genoveva Islas
Director of Cultiva La Salud
Public Health Institute
Tyler Norris
Chief Executive
Well Being Trust
Betsy Price
Former Mayor
Fort Worth, Texas
Marta Tellado, PhD
President & CEO
Consumer Reports
Our Partners
CityHealth consults a wide variety of experts for advice and counsel, especially in setting policy scoring criteria and reviewing city ratings.
