Every facet of public health excites me, and I remain committed to keeping an open mind and learning from all those around me in government, the private sector, academia, and philanthropy, in order to help advance our nation’s health.
Jeffrey Hom
Policy Advisor
Philadelphia Department of Public HealthJeffrey Hom is a policy advisor in the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, where he provides guidance to the Health Commissioner on programs and policies related to the well-being of all Philadelphians. A board-certified internist, his current focus is on substance use, particularly issues around access to treatment and harm reduction.
Jeff has contributed to health care and public health efforts in San Francisco, Boston, and Shiprock, N.M., as well as internationally in Lesotho and Cambodia, all of which have deepened his desire to improve community well-being, pursue health equity, and advance social justice.
A native San Franciscan, Jeff completed his undergraduate education with a degree in art history at Bowdoin College. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health and completed his residency in internal medicine-primary care at the University of California, San Francisco. Jeff was most recently a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his Master of Science in Health Policy Research.
BOLD SOLUTION: Jeff created the Kensington Initiative for Needle Disposal (KIND), which employs community members, including those with lived experiences and in recovery, to clean up littered drug paraphernalia and distribute naloxone. This program, located in the heart of Philadelphia’s drug crisis, has given its staff a chance to engage neighborhood residents in a meaningful way. Jeff’s hope is that KIND employees will soon advance to supervisors of the program and their work will open doors to future job prospects. He intends to grow this successful but small program, believing it addresses a community concern while giving opportunity to people whose recovery can be supported by stable employment.
