Isabella Izquierdo

Isabella supports Lewis-Burke clients by advancing priorities in biomedical and public health research through advocacy and consulting across agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). At the firm, she focuses on agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), among others. Isabella’s background in neuroscience and public health fuels her advocacy for the basic, translational, and implementation research that drives evidence-based public health interventions. Isabella is particularly passionate about the role policy plays in bridging the intersection of experimental research and its direct impacts on public health.

Issue Areas: Biomedical research, social determinants of health, chronic disease, public health, and behavioral sciences.

Additional Information: Prior to joining Lewis-Burke Associates, Isabella interned with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) where she spent a summer working on an NIH-funded R01 study focused on maternal health and substance use. It was here that she found her passion for public health policy. During her time abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, Isabella joined a public health program where she frequently met with different non-profits, research facilities, and social services working to solve issues such as, but not limited to, homelessness, substance use disorder, and mental health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Isabella worked with the Florida Department of Health as a Contact Tracer and in the latter half of her time there, as an Epidemiologist, offering testing, medical, and economic resources to those affected by COVID-19.

Most recently, Isabella became a Fellow of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative (BAHI) through her graduate studies where she focuses on issues pertaining to addiction and overdose. As a result, she has developed a comprehensive understanding of the federal drug policy landscape, which remains a personal interest.

Vital Statistics: Isabella was born and raised in Miami, Florida but received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Pomona College in Claremont, California. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Health (MPH) at Johns Hopkins University with plans to graduate in December 2025. When she’s not studying, Isabella loves checking out new restaurants, traveling, and admiring the full four seasons that D.C has to offer.