My name is Ken Colón. I'm 27 years old, grew up right here in Brentwood, in the Town of Islip, and I am proud to call Brentwood home today.
Most recently, I led data management for suicide prevention at the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, focusing on identifying trends in youth suicides and potential interventions, and consulted on health policy research for the Center for Infectious Disease Modeling & Analysis at the Yale School of Public Health.
I am currently pursuing my Executive Master's in Public Health at Yale, from where I will graduate next May as the youngest member of my class, with concentrations in environmental health sciences and epidemiology.
Previously, I earned my Master's in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University on a full-tuition scholarship. I had the immense honor of being selected by my classmates as our student commencement speaker, and completed my Master's capstone project working on opioid overdose prevention policy for Montgomery County government in upstate New York.
Before my Master's, I worked in Washington, consulting on various pieces of legislation introduced in state governments, including New York State. I also held a number of positions in the healthcare technology sector, most recently serving as the Director of Marketing & Business Development at Orderly Health, a venture capital-backed healthcare data company.
I earned my bachelor's in Neuroscience and Behavior from the University of Notre Dame, where, in 2015 during my sophomore year, I launched a multiple award-winning app for suicide prevention among high school and college students.
On a personal level, Notre Dame is also where I met my wife, Maria, who works as a resident physician specializing in emergency medicine. We first met in 2014, starting dating in 2016, and got married on May 1, 2021. She is my best friend and my rock; none of this would be possible without her love and support.