WASHINGTON, DC (July 1, 2025) — Julia Strasser, DrPH, MPH, is stepping down from her position as Executive Director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health (Jacobs Institute) at the George Washington University (GW) Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) in order to devote more attention to her research work.
Anne Rossier Markus, JD, PhD, MHS, will serve as the Jacobs Institute’s Acting Director until a permanent executive director is appointed. Liz Borkowski, MPH, who became the Jacobs Institute’s Managing Director in 2014, will serve as Deputy Director.
“It has been an honor to serve as the Jacobs Institute’s Executive Director,” said Dr. Strasser. “I have particularly appreciated the opportunity to work with our affiliated faculty members from across GW, and I look forward to our continued collaboration on a range of topics important for women’s health.” As part of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, she researches the changing patterns of the abortion and contraception workforce, including the distribution of providers serving patients with Medicaid coverage.
“We thank Dr. Strasser for her leadership and look forward to her continued work as an affiliated faculty member of the Jacobs Institute,” Dr. Markus said. Dr. Markus, who chairs the Department of Health Policy and Management at Milken Institute SPH, is an expert on the financing and organization of health care and on access to care. She is particularly interested in how the health system addresses — or fails to address — the needs of women, trans and nonbinary persons, children, and members of minoritized groups, including those with low incomes and with special needs. She specializes in maternal health and is a part of the GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health.
The Jacobs Institute’s mission is to identify and study aspects of healthcare and public health, including legal and policy issues, that affect women’s health at different life stages; to foster awareness of and facilitate dialogue around issues that affect women’s health; and to promote interdisciplinary research, coordination, and information dissemination, including by publishing the peer-reviewed journal Women’s Health Issues.