Meet the NMPHA Interns - Fall 2025

Chanda Jones - The University of Arizona

Hello my name is Chanda Jones, I am a Masters of Public Health student at The University of Arizona with a concentration in Global Health. I also have a Bachelors degree in Public Health with a concentration in One Health. I work as an Infection Preventionist at a local hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am passionate about all things Public Health, from vaccinations, health policy, to environmental health. In my free time I like to read fiction, garden, and just be outside. I look forward to completing my Masters Report with NMPHA.

Melinda Montoya - University of New Mexico

Hello! My name is Melinda Montoya, I am a Master of Public Health student with UNM’s College of Population Health, my concentration is in Health Systems and Health Policy. I am currently a Physical Therapist, who understood years into my practice that something was missing, and it was the view that public health provided to provide a higher level of care to the communities I worked with. I have worked with the Indian Health Service in AZ and NM, the Veterans Administration and provide specialty pelvic health rehabilitation, understanding that care is directly impacted by policy. I am currently taking some time off of work to focus on my studies and advocacy around improvements in infrastructure and laws to protect cyclists and pedestrians, after losing my only daughter, Kayla, who was crossing a bicycle crossing and was struck by a car. I look forward to the guidance and support of NMPHA to help me shape my work.

Lynsey Pinto - Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Yá’át’ééh, my name is Lynsey Pinto. I grew up in Ojo Amarillo, a small Navajo community in northwest New Mexico. I earned a BS in Population Health and Political Science from the University of New Mexico. I have a passion for Indigenous women’s health and strategies to connect communities to the policymaking process. I am currently in a Master of Science in Public Health in Health Policy program at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. After graduating from Hopkins, I plan to work on Indigenous health policy in New Mexico and am excited to engage in health equity work while interning with NMPHA.