Public Health Institute

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the PHI advocated in favor of statewide lockdowns and business shutdowns to prevent viral spread. ³ The institute also endorsed COVID-19 vaccine roll-outs that give priority to racial minorities. ⁴ PHI previously opposed polices during the first Trump administration it argues led to negative health outcomes such as those relating to contraception, immigration, and the environment. ^{5 6 7}

The PHI was founded in 1964 and is based out of Oakland, California, with additional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington, D.C. ^{8 9}

Initiatives

Public Health Institute covers a variety of focus areas, ranging from substance abuse to disease prevention to technology and innovation. The institute also runs strategic initiatives to address “urgent or emerging health issues.” These have included COVID-19 and opioid addiction. ¹⁰

PHI runs more than 60 public health programs at the local, state, and national levels. The institute maintains several research organizations including the Berkeley Media Studies Group, the National Alcohol Research Center, and the Survey Research Group. ¹¹

Activities

The Public Health Institute (PHI) oversees more than 100 health-related programs in the United States and 25 other countries. ¹² The institute argues that it has helped over 13 million low-income Californians meet federal nutrition guidelines and contends that 100% of students in its FACES for the Future program graduate from high school. ¹³

PHI advocated extending the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and argued that it protected benefits for 45 million Americans. The institute also advocated in favor of  California’s Senate Bill 32, calling it “the most aggressive climate change bills in the country.”  ¹⁴

Advocacy

Obamacare

Public Health Institute president Mary Pittman has driven the institute’s support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). ⁸ In June 2012, Pittman celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision not to strike down the ACA, saying that “there is no going back” and calling Obamacare “a visionary milestone in our country’s history.” ¹⁵

Critical Race Theory

During the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the summer of 2020, Pittman issued a statement calling alleged “systemic racism” in the United States a “health emergency.” She claimed that government agencies and public health institutions should not “question” protesters’ “means,” including the property damage that the Institute’s own offices sustained. Pittman also alleged that “COVID-19 and police brutality” were “deeply intertwined.” ¹⁶

In September 2020, PHI’s Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity attacked the first Trump administration for banning critical race theory training in federal agencies, claiming that “racism is a key driver of health inequities” and that “it is critical for government employees” to learn about “privilege, power, and intersectionality.” ¹⁷

COVID-19

In December 2020, Marta Iduni, director of PHI’s Tracing Health program, commented to The Guardian that putting “everyone” under lockdown was “only one possible solution” to contain the spread of COVID-19. Iduni also suggested that a second round of lockdowns was an opportunity for public officials to “start over” and “devise better plans and messaging around mask mandates.” ¹⁸

Also in December 2020, PHI’s Berkeley Media Studies Group issued a list of recommendations on vaccine distribution to public officials. The list included guidance on how to “bring racial equity forward” during vaccine distribution, and argued that officials should “name racial equity explicitly.” BMSG also cited arguments that essential workers were members of minority groups as a justification for offering them vaccines ahead of other demographics. ⁴

BMSG’s vaccination guidelines also included left-of-center policy recommendations such as issuing a universal basic income, moratoriums on evictions and rent collection, and releasing low-risk convicts from prison. The group acknowledged that “these strategies might not be the centerpiece of all vaccine messages,” but suggested that they be “part of our communication with the communities we serve.” ¹⁹

Immigration

In August 2019, PHI president Mary Pittman issued a statement criticizing the first Trump administration’s “public charge” rule, which made it more difficult for non-citizens who used welfare benefits to secure temporary visas or permanent residency. Pittman claimed that it was “simply unacceptable” for the United States to consider immigrants’ reliance on taxpayer-funded public assistance when determining their eligibility to remain in the country. ²⁰

In June 2018, Pittman signed a letter to both the Secretaries of Homeland Security (DHS) and of Health and Human Services (HHS), urging both departments to end the practice of separately housing children whose family members brought them while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. ⁶

In April 2018, PHI’s Marta Iduni wrote a post on the organization’s website claiming that adding a question about citizenship status to the 2020 Census was a “misuse of the data process,” an “abuse of power,” and a “fundamental threat to our democracy.” She alleged that a citizenship question would “sabotage the census” and “ultimately damage the public’s health.” Iduni also claimed that such a question would require “a rigorous testing process that can take months or even years” to be considered “reliable and valid.” ²¹

Leadership

Melissa Stafford Jones is the president and CEO of the Public Health Institute (PHI), appointed to the role in January 2024. She was previously the director of the State of California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, the executive director of the First 5 Association of California, and the regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Region IX during the Obama Administration. In addition, she was previously the president and CEO of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems as well as the executive director of the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation.  ²²

Mary Pittman was the previous president and chief executive officer of PHI from 2008 until Melissa Stafford Jones was appointed to the position in January 2024.  ²³ She previously sat on the institute’s board of directors. She also sits on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Worker Migration Global Policy Council. Pittman previously worked as president and chief executive officer of the California Association of Public Hospitals, as well as director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. ⁸

Melange Matthews is the executive vice president and chief operating officer at PHI as of 2025. She previously served as acting director and chief operating officer for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Community Development, as well as senior legislative planner for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. She also previously taught “critical theory and contemporary health issues” at San Francisco State University. ²⁴

Financials

According to its 2023 990 form, the Public Health Institute (PHI) reported revenue of $297,776,188,  expenses of $283,476,651, and total assets of $129,042,887, with net assets of $67,092,720.  ²⁵

In 2023, PHI received a $100,000 grant from the Chase and Stephanie Coleman Foundation. ²⁶