Rida Shams is interested in changing policy landscapes to enable more equitable, accessible, and affordable healthcare. Rida is a fellow at the Food Lab, where she is focusing on leveraging urban agriculture for protecting public health in conflict cities such as Srinagar, Kashmir.

Rida is also pursuing a Master’s of Science in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a concentration in health policy. Previously, she earned her BS in Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Outside of academics, Rida enjoys digital art and painting, exploring coffee shops, and hiking.