Rutgers School of Nursing FXB Center Appoints New Leadership to Advance Health Outcomes and Community Outreach in the USA
The François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center at the Rutgers School of Nursing has announced a significant leadership transition designed to strengthen its public health infrastructure. Jamie Steiger has been named executive director, and Joanne Simone has been appointed deputy director. Both leaders bring decades of combined experience in workforce development, capacity building, and community outreach. This strategic appointment signals a reinforced commitment to improving health outcomes for children, families, and communities with the greatest need in New Jersey and across the USA.
For prospective students and professionals interested in systemic public health interventions, understanding the direction of major research and clinical centers like the FXB Center is essential. Schedule a free consultation to learn more about Rutgers nursing and public health programs.
The Critical Role of the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center in Public Health
Operating as a $35 million grant-funded center within the Rutgers School of Nursing, the FXB Center plays a foundational role in addressing complex health disparities. Rather than focusing solely on individual patient care, the center operates on a macro level—designing statewide networks, delivering technical assistance to healthcare providers, and managing large-scale public health campaigns.
The center’s work is heavily focused on HIV prevention, maternal and child health, and harm reduction strategies for substance use disorders. By coordinating Fetal and Infant Mortality Review activities and implementing strategic health system interventions, the FXB Center serves as a bridge between academic research and practical, community-based care. The transition in leadership ensures that these massive, multi-layered initiatives continue to operate efficiently and scale their impact.
Jamie Steiger: Steering Financial Strategy and Health Advocacy
Jamie Steiger’s promotion to executive director is the result of a 20-year tenure at the FXB Center, including over a decade as the director of administration and finance. Managing the operations and budget for a $35 million grant-funded entity requires rigorous financial acumen and an intimate understanding of public health funding mechanisms. Steiger has a proven track record of conducting center-wide assessments that streamline operations and improve administrative systems.
Beyond financial management, Steiger has demonstrated strong leadership in direct public health advocacy. As the principal investigator for the state-funded Ending HIV Epidemic (EtE) Awareness Campaigns project, she oversaw the delivery of targeted prevention and education to at-risk populations. During her interim role, she successfully launched a high-profile EtE digital campaign to raise awareness of routine HIV testing. Furthermore, her participation in AIDSWatch 2026—directly engaging with federal representatives and policymakers—highlights the center’s strategy of pairing local community outreach with national-level advocacy.
Joanne Simone: Expanding Clinical Expertise and Harm Reduction Infrastructure
As a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, Joanne Simone brings specialized clinical expertise to her new role as deputy director. Since joining the center in 2012, Simone has focused on the intersection of clinical care and public health equity. Her leadership is characterized by a hands-on approach to building provider networks and implementing clinical frameworks.
Eliminating Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
One of Simone’s most significant contributions has been leading the regional and statewide implementation of a national framework designed to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission in the USA. This initiative requires coordinating care across multiple healthcare systems, educating providers on the latest clinical protocols, and ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to routine screening and treatment. Her work in this area directly improves infant mortality rates and long-term health outcomes for families.
Supporting Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Clinicians
In her interim deputy role, Simone led the expansion of the center’s Harm Reduction Health technical assistance and capacity-building infrastructure. This involved creating coordinated, interdisciplinary support systems specifically tailored for mental health clinicians and low-threshold buprenorphine providers operating in harm reduction settings. By equipping these frontline workers with the resources they need, the FXB Center strengthens the state’s ability to combat the ongoing substance use disorder crisis.
Collaborative University Approaches: Rutgers University–Camden and Beyond
While the FXB Center operates primarily out of the Rutgers School of Nursing, addressing statewide health disparities requires a unified, multi-campus approach. Public health challenges do not adhere to geographic borders, which is why the work of the FXB Center aligns closely with the broader educational and outreach missions of other Rutgers locations, including Rutgers University–Camden.
Rutgers University–Camden contributes significantly to the regional health ecosystem through its own community outreach initiatives, nursing programs, and civic engagement projects. Students and faculty in Camden frequently address the social determinants of health—such as housing, education, and food security—that heavily influence the health outcomes targeted by the FXB Center. The new leadership at the FXB Center will likely continue to foster these inter-campus collaborations, recognizing that sustainable health equity in the USA relies on a coordinated, statewide network of academic and clinical professionals.
Building a Diverse Workforce: The Impact of Shorelight Pathways in the USA
Improving health outcomes and executing large-scale community outreach programs requires a highly skilled, diverse healthcare workforce. Academic institutions must constantly look for innovative ways to attract and train the next generation of public health professionals. This is where international education pathways, such as Shorelight Pathways, play a critical role in the USA.
Shorelight Pathways helps international students navigate the admissions process and integrate into top-tier American universities like Rutgers. These students bring diverse global perspectives on healthcare, epidemiology, and community wellness. In an increasingly interconnected world, public health challenges—ranging from infectious diseases to maternal health disparities—require solutions informed by international best practices. By facilitating access to rigorous nursing and public health education, pathway programs help build a robust pipeline of professionals who are equipped to support the kind of complex, grant-funded initiatives led by the FXB Center. A diverse workforce ensures that community outreach efforts are culturally competent and linguistically accessible to the populations that need them most.
Advancing Your Career in Public Health and Community Outreach
The leadership transition at the FXB Center highlights the diverse career trajectories available within public health and nursing. A career in this field does not strictly mean providing bedside care. As demonstrated by Jamie Steiger and Joanne Simone, public health offers opportunities in financial administration, grant management, clinical framework development, policy advocacy, and specialized harm reduction.
For aspiring professionals, focusing on the following areas can provide a competitive edge:
- Grant Management and Administration: Understanding how public health initiatives are funded and sustained is crucial. Roles in administration directly impact a program’s ability to deliver services.
- Specialized Clinical Knowledge: Expertise in areas like pediatric care, HIV treatment protocols, or substance use disorders is highly valued in technical assistance and capacity-building roles.
- Policy and Advocacy: Engaging with policymakers, as seen with AIDSWatch, is necessary to secure long-term funding and shape systemic health interventions.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Modern public health requires working across sectors—connecting mental health clinicians, social workers, and medical providers to deliver holistic care.
Submit your application today to join the next generation of healthcare leaders at Rutgers.
Conclusion: Sustaining Health Equity for the Future
The appointment of Jamie Steiger and Joanne Simone to lead the Rutgers FXB Center marks a deliberate step toward sustaining and expanding the center’s impact on public health. Their combined experience in financial oversight, clinical practice, harm reduction, and state-level advocacy provides a stable foundation for the center’s $35 million portfolio of community health initiatives. As the center continues to battle the HIV epidemic, support clinicians in harm reduction settings, and work toward eliminating mother-to-child transmission, its success will rely on the continued collaboration of Rutgers campuses and the influx of dedicated, diverse students entering the public health field.
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