About AHSR
At AHSR, we turn research into action that expands access to quality health services for communities everywhere. We are a public health research and evaluation organization dedicated to strengthening health systems, informing policy, and elevating community voices.
Our work brings together rigorous data analysis, strategic insight, and collaborative engagement to address complex health challenges. From applied research and program evaluations to stakeholder convenings and evidence translation, we help organizations and decision-makers understand what works, why it works, and how to scale it.
Guided by a commitment to equity and real-world impact, AHSR partners with communities, agencies, and practitioners to design solutions that improve health outcomes, close gaps in care, and build healthier futures for all.
Our Team
Kumbie Madondo, PhD
Founder & Director
Kumbie Madondo, PhD is a public health professional with more than fifteen years of experience working at the intersection of health policy, evaluation, and systems improvement. As the founder and director of AHSR, she focuses on translating data into actionable strategies and aligning public health efforts with community priorities. Her career spans both policy and research settings, including roles as a Senior Analyst at Community Science, where she evaluated Medicaid outcomes following the Affordable Care Act, and as a Research Scientist at the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), where she led major health systems evaluations involving care coordination, strategic planning, and community needs assessments. She later served as Director of NYAM’s Center for Community Partnerships and Policy Solutions, launching a center dedicated to public health innovation and collaborating with local and state agencies on initiatives such as Brooklyn’s first Health and Housing Comprehensive Plan and statewide efforts to integrate Health in All Policies.
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Kana Tateisha, MPH
Project Manager
Kana Tateishi, MS, is a Senior Research Analyst at AHSR, where she leads and supports projects focused on mixed methods research, program evaluation, and technical assistance. Her portfolio spans diverse areas, from healthy aging initiatives to evaluation of clinical algorithms. Drawing on a background in computational, social, and civil rights research, Kana approaches public health challenges through a multidisciplinary and equity-focused lens. She earned both her BA and MS in Social Research from Hunter College, where she concentrated on research design, data analysis, and applied social inquiry. Currently, she is pursuing studies in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at NOVA University of Lisbon, with the goal of integrating spatial analysis into her work to better address public health disparities and advance social justice.
Zoelene Hill, PhD
Senior Consultant
Zoelene Hill, PhD, is a public health leader, researcher, and strategist with deep expertise in health equity, maternal and child health, and community-rooted policy design. She serves as a Senior Advisor to AHSR, bringing over a decade of experience leading community-driven research and systems change initiatives. As Founder and Principal Investigator of Community Partnerships in Health, she has partnered with communities, health centers, and public agencies to co-create knowledge and influence policy across the life course.
Zoelene’s approach is grounded in lived experience and collaborative practice, shaped by her early career as a high school teacher and years of partnership with grassroots organizations. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from Duke University, a Master’s from Harvard, and a BA from Princeton. Her work has been supported by federal agencies and major foundations, and she currently serves on nonprofit boards focused on education and the arts.
Taka Kapikinyu, MA, MS
Senior Consultant
Nikhita Thaper Miskin, MPH
Senior Consultant
Nikhita Thaper Miskin is a health policy and program evaluation professional with more than 12 years of experience working across government agencies, academic medical centers, and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. She is driven by a belief that patients have a fundamental right to education, information, and a meaningful voice in how care is delivered and that healthcare works best when it is built with communities, not simply for them. Her work spans mixed-methods research, program evaluation, grant development, and policy analysis, with expertise in health insurance markets, healthy aging, and equity-centered implementation.
At the New York Academy of Medicine, she managed a $400,000 multi-site implementation research study on race-neutral kidney function assessment at two safety-net hospitals in Central Brooklyn, evaluated a national foundation-funded age-friendly public health systems initiative, and contributed to federally funded secondary analysis of Head Start data on early childhood educator turnover. Her research has been accepted for presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week, AcademyHealth D&I, and the American Evaluation Association annual conference.
She holds a Master of Public Health from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University.
