Congratulations to Bianca Shmulevich and Jessica Rao!

Their photographs were selected from the many that were submitted to the GetHealthyHarlem.org Photo Contest in May. The selected eleven photographs uniquely capture the contest theme, “What does health in Northern Manhattan mean to you?” The photos will be exhibited at various gallery spaces in Northern Manhattan starting this Wednesday, August 17th, at the 125th Street Library on 224 East 125th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue). Here is a sneak peak of the photographs!

The exhibit schedule can be found at http://gethealthyharlem.org/articles/gethealthyharlemorg-traveling-photo-exhibit.

Photographer Biography:

Bianca Shmulevich, LMSW
Bianca is a Social Worker with a love of photography and a passion for health, nutrition, and knowledge. A native New Yorker, she obtained her bachelors in Journalism and Psychology from Hofstra University. She obtained her Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University. Bianca currently works at Cornerstone Continuous Care in Harlem where she provides treatment to individuals suffering from substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. She would like to continue to use her social skills and photographic eye to bring awareness and strength to underserved communities. Bianca is excited and honored to be part of this GetHealthyHarlem.org project.

Jessica Rao, MPH
Jessica Rao is the Research and Community Outreach Assistant for Partnership Community Outreach Program (PCOP), part of a partnership between the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center/City College of New York (MSKCC-CCNY) Partnership for Cancer Research, Training, and Community Outreach. Jessica’s role is to support research efforts developed and supported by PCOP along with community based programming.

Before joining PCOP in May 2024, Jessica worked as a research consultant at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She worked on a large-scale project evaluating New York City’s policy to post calories in chain restaurants in the Physical Activity and Nutrition Department. Prior to that, Jessica worked in the Bureau of Tobacco Control for the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City’s Bar and Tavern Project. She educated bar owners about the tobacco industry’s marketing and promotions and garnered signatures for a tobacco control policy in bars in the East Village. In 2024, Jessica was part of a malaria prevention team in Humjibre, Ghana. While in Ghana, she assessed the community’s health through surveys and co-organized a village-wide intervention by way of bed net distribution and community outreach. She also conducted educational services and bed net retreatment.
Jessica has a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Hofstra University and a Masters in Public Health in Urban Public Health, Community Health Education from Hunter College.

Jessica is an avid traveler and photographer and enjoys working in Harlem.