News Detail
Alexandra Bessler '20: Nurturing Community Through Public Health
This article discusses sensitive mental health topics like addiction, overdose, and suicide.
This past May of 2026, Alexandra Bessler '20 graduated from Johns Hopkins University with her Master's in Public Health and Health Policy Management after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Through years of research, coursework, and volunteer work focused on mental health, suicide prevention, and addiction, Alexandra found herself increasingly drawn to behavioral health and community-centered care.
"I've always been interested in people, in their stories, and also in science. I also have personal experiences from loved ones, friends, and family related to suicide and mental health. It's unfortunate to say, but it's not an abnormal experience," said Alexandra. "There's a study that says on suicide affects more than 150 people. It really highlights that almost everyone has some connection to this work."
While at Colby, Alexandra began developing a strong interest in behavioral health, a passion she continued to pursue and deepen during her graduate studies at Johns Hopkins.
"I was super interested in health policy and have really enjoyed my master's, but it's been really reinforcing that the work I really like to do is related to behavioral health."
At Johns Hopkins, Alexandra further focused that interest through research centered on overdose and suicide prevention.
"On the suicide prevention side, I work with the School of Medicine at Hopkins on something called psychological autopsies. When there is a death in Maryland that the coroner's department deems a suicide, and the next of kin consents, they go through something called a psychological autopsy. It's an attempt to figure out what precipitated the event--learning more about the person's social circumstances, mental health history, diagnoses, and really compiling everything about the person. It's essentially an autopsy of their life."
Alexandra works directly with families to gather information about the deceased's circumstances. "You do that by talking to family members, friends, school districts, teachers, and others connected to the person."
Alexandra is also part of a long-term study examining suicide clusters among adolescents and the factors that can help prevent future tragedies.
"We're partnering with the Department of Education and the Maryland coroner's department to look at these suicides and ask: What prevents the next suicide within that cluster? Is it behavioral support programs, after-school support, funding for sports teams?"
She continued, "We're analyzing both the protective and risk factors for suicide. It's a huge longitudinal study that's been going on for about 20 years. We have all the data now, so we're piecing it together and trying to tell these stories in a way that can hopefully push legislation forward and show how important behavioral health programs are for communities and kids under 18."
While Alexandra's research addresses difficult topics, she says some of her most meaningful work happens through volunteering with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where she leads support groups for family members caring for loved ones with mental illness.
"I lead one of the biggest groups in Maryland, and people just keep coming back, which is awesome and rewarding. People share their [testimony], find comfort in shared experiences, and connect with resources. The healthcare system isn't always clear or easy to navigate as a caregiver."
"A lot of my work overall is centered around vulnerable and disadvantaged populations-people at risk for suicide, people at risk for overdoses- and it's all connected. Most people with use disorder also have comorbid mental health issues. That's why I always say I'm interested in behavioral health, because it's all related."
On top of all of her research and volunteering, Alexandra recently completed a paper on mobile methadone units with collaborators from Brown, Harvard, and NYU, exploring how access to addiction treatment differs across New York State communities.
"New York is such a diverse state. You have New York City with a huge, dense population, and then you have very rural upstate New York with completely different needs. The challenge is figuring out how to distribute resources equitably. For people with opioid use disorder to receive medications like methadone or buprenorphine, they have to go through an opioid treatment provider."
Access to those clinics is really difficult, especially in rural areas.
"There are people who have to travel two hours just to get their medication. New York State decided to try mobile methadone vans, but there's only so much funding and only so many vans, so people still have to travel to reach them. They tried to create a solution, but it also created new problems."
Alexandra hopes the research will help improve access to care and elevate the voices of those directly impacted.
"It's been difficult because we need approval from the New York State Addiction Services, and they don't love the paper, but it's people's testimony," said Alexandra. "That's public health, though. You try to create solutions."
For Alexandra, public health is ultimately about the people she serves.
"All of my projects are pretty heavy, whether it's overdose or suicide research. But in my mind, I know how prevalent these issues are. What's meaningful to me is being able to engage directly with people's stories--interviewing someone, hearing what has helped them and what hasn't, and hopefully finding answers that can lead to real solutions."
Congratulations to Alexandra on her recent graduation! And what's next? "I'm applying to med school next cycle, and I'm starting a post-bacc program at Case Western in the fall."
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Strength Magazine: Community in Action. To see more articles like this one, click here.
This past May of 2026, Alexandra Bessler '20 graduated from Johns Hopkins University with her Master's in Public Health and Health Policy Management after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Through years of research, coursework, and volunteer work focused on mental health, suicide prevention, and addiction, Alexandra found herself increasingly drawn to behavioral health and community-centered care.
"I've always been interested in people, in their stories, and also in science. I also have personal experiences from loved ones, friends, and family related to suicide and mental health. It's unfortunate to say, but it's not an abnormal experience," said Alexandra. "There's a study that says on suicide affects more than 150 people. It really highlights that almost everyone has some connection to this work."
While at Colby, Alexandra began developing a strong interest in behavioral health, a passion she continued to pursue and deepen during her graduate studies at Johns Hopkins.
"I was super interested in health policy and have really enjoyed my master's, but it's been really reinforcing that the work I really like to do is related to behavioral health."
At Johns Hopkins, Alexandra further focused that interest through research centered on overdose and suicide prevention.
"On the suicide prevention side, I work with the School of Medicine at Hopkins on something called psychological autopsies. When there is a death in Maryland that the coroner's department deems a suicide, and the next of kin consents, they go through something called a psychological autopsy. It's an attempt to figure out what precipitated the event--learning more about the person's social circumstances, mental health history, diagnoses, and really compiling everything about the person. It's essentially an autopsy of their life."
Alexandra works directly with families to gather information about the deceased's circumstances. "You do that by talking to family members, friends, school districts, teachers, and others connected to the person."
Alexandra is also part of a long-term study examining suicide clusters among adolescents and the factors that can help prevent future tragedies.
"We're partnering with the Department of Education and the Maryland coroner's department to look at these suicides and ask: What prevents the next suicide within that cluster? Is it behavioral support programs, after-school support, funding for sports teams?"
She continued, "We're analyzing both the protective and risk factors for suicide. It's a huge longitudinal study that's been going on for about 20 years. We have all the data now, so we're piecing it together and trying to tell these stories in a way that can hopefully push legislation forward and show how important behavioral health programs are for communities and kids under 18."
While Alexandra's research addresses difficult topics, she says some of her most meaningful work happens through volunteering with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where she leads support groups for family members caring for loved ones with mental illness.
"I lead one of the biggest groups in Maryland, and people just keep coming back, which is awesome and rewarding. People share their [testimony], find comfort in shared experiences, and connect with resources. The healthcare system isn't always clear or easy to navigate as a caregiver."
"A lot of my work overall is centered around vulnerable and disadvantaged populations-people at risk for suicide, people at risk for overdoses- and it's all connected. Most people with use disorder also have comorbid mental health issues. That's why I always say I'm interested in behavioral health, because it's all related."
On top of all of her research and volunteering, Alexandra recently completed a paper on mobile methadone units with collaborators from Brown, Harvard, and NYU, exploring how access to addiction treatment differs across New York State communities.
"New York is such a diverse state. You have New York City with a huge, dense population, and then you have very rural upstate New York with completely different needs. The challenge is figuring out how to distribute resources equitably. For people with opioid use disorder to receive medications like methadone or buprenorphine, they have to go through an opioid treatment provider."
Access to those clinics is really difficult, especially in rural areas.
"There are people who have to travel two hours just to get their medication. New York State decided to try mobile methadone vans, but there's only so much funding and only so many vans, so people still have to travel to reach them. They tried to create a solution, but it also created new problems."
Alexandra hopes the research will help improve access to care and elevate the voices of those directly impacted.
"It's been difficult because we need approval from the New York State Addiction Services, and they don't love the paper, but it's people's testimony," said Alexandra. "That's public health, though. You try to create solutions."
For Alexandra, public health is ultimately about the people she serves.
"All of my projects are pretty heavy, whether it's overdose or suicide research. But in my mind, I know how prevalent these issues are. What's meaningful to me is being able to engage directly with people's stories--interviewing someone, hearing what has helped them and what hasn't, and hopefully finding answers that can lead to real solutions."
Congratulations to Alexandra on her recent graduation! And what's next? "I'm applying to med school next cycle, and I'm starting a post-bacc program at Case Western in the fall."
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Strength Magazine: Community in Action. To see more articles like this one, click here.
