As a student at CESJDS, Dr. Veronique Nussenblatt ‘95, learned to embrace and value her heritage as a Jew, and the importance of belonging to a culture, knowing one’s roots, and forming a strong Jewish identity that will go with her wherever her future goes. This inspired her interest in global health and wanting to learn more about other cultures and how she can contribute public health in those contexts. Veronique has turned this inspiration into a successful career as the Chief of the Infectious Disease Consult Service in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH.

Following graduation from CESJDS, Veronique attended the University of Maryland, where she received her degree in Physiology and Neurobiology. She has her M.D from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and her M.H.S in epidemiology and infectious diseases from The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Additionally, she has her Masters in Science (Sc.M) in clinical investigation from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Veronique entered the infectious diseases field because it is ever-changing and never boring. “I get to see different kinds of patients and am not limited to one organ problem. I am passionate about public health and being an infectious disease doctor lends itself to that.” One of the studies she is focusing on now is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Her team is studying a medication for mpox. Mpox is endemic in the DRC and causes significant morbidity and mortality there. Veronique works at NIH where she has been for the past 5.5 years. She oversees the work of a group of doctors who help manage infections in patients at the NIH. She is also the Associate Program Director of the infectious diseases fellowship program and spends time working with internal medicine doctors who are becoming infectious disease specialists, thereby giving back to the community that helped forge her career. 

Veronique attended CESJDS from 1st grade through 12th grade and was the captain of the CESJDS lacrosse team where she played the position of first home. Veronique’s siblings, Valerie ‘98 and Eric ‘01 are also JDS lifers. She and her husband Jed now send their two children Eva (Grade 1) and Emilie (Grade 4) to CESJDS and they are proud to be a Hagshama (2nd generation) family. Veronique is still in touch with several of her classmates and other CESJDS alumni, as her daughters have made friends with their children. 

At CESJDS she found that Mr. Miller was one of her greatest influencers; she loved his science classes, which sparked her love of medicine, and they remain a fond memory for her as she has developed professionally. When not at work, Veronique spends time with her kids and Jed, while listening to music from around the world. She cites her greatest achievement as her two daughters, “having them was the best thing I have done in my life.”

Veronique served on the CESJDS Medical Advisory Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic.