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INFORMATION FOR

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At the Yale School of Public Health, we’re committed to cultivating an anti-racist and inclusive culture in which all members belong and are treated with respect. Across our close community of peers, mentors, collaborators and staff, we have adopted mentorship, recruitment, retention and professional development practices to help meet our goal of having an outstanding and diverse School of Public Health—a place that better reflects the local, national and international communities we study and serve.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging is embedded within our academics, research, practice and policy. We work daily to continue improving our inclusive culture with our promise to seek out and draw in expertise, materials, knowledge and skills from around the corner and around the world.

Our scientists investigate the role of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, classism, and geopolitics in health disparities. We offer MPH students the opportunity to expand their expertise through the U.S. Health Justice Concentration, regardless of their primary department. The concentration launched an Activist in Residence program in 2022 to provide students with the opportunity to work on social justice issues with the best activists in the world. Through their internships and studies, our students are true cross-disciplinary collaborators who work with diverse populations locally from New Haven to globally in Africa, South America and Asia, creating innovative, high-impact solutions to address today’s and tomorrow’s public health equity challenges.

With leadership from the School’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, diversity committee and student ambassadors, as well as the activism of our student and alumni groups, we strive for equity in our community, curriculum and work in research and practice. We are committed to offering a welcoming environment for everyone that reflects the diversity and inclusivity of the school.

Combatting Racism is Public Health: A Graphic Novel

Who We Are

Student Ambassadors

  • Eiman Abdoalsadig

    Student Ambassador, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

    Eiman is a 2nd year MPH student in the Social & Behavioral Sciences Department concentrating in Public Health Modeling. She earned her BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychological Science from the University of California, Irvine in 2021. As a Muslim, Sudanese-American, and daughter of immigrants, Eiman is committed to promoting representation across both academic and professional spheres. Prior to her time at Yale, she served as an at-large senator where she advocated for the opening of a meditation space on campus and lobbied with legislators in Sacramento and Washington D.C., where she promoted bills that supported student parents, undocumented students, first-gen students, and underrepresented minorities across the entire UC system. Furthermore, she served as the first Black, female, President of the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UC Irvine. Eiman is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations of a non-profit organization called the Sudanese-American Professionals Society (SAPS), which serves to empower the Sudanese-American community by creating a professional network and providing the tools and knowledge needed to foster leaders and achieve professional excellence. Here, at Yale, Eiman is a member of the Yale Graduate Consulting Club, Yale Biotech Club, and Muslim Student Association. She is very excited to support the YSPH student body through the Diversity Ambassador position by fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.
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  • Catherine Mwai

    Student Ambassador, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

    Catherine is a second-year MPH student in the Social Behavioral Sciences Department concentrating on Global Health. Originally from Kenya, she immigrated with her parents to Michigan, where she completed her BS in Public Health with a concentration in Health Administration and has gained extensive experience leading health promotion efforts centered on community engagement. Before coming to YSPH, she had worked on numerous multisectoral projects, including efforts at Michigan Medicine to decrease and demystify medical procedure anxiety for patients and their families. She also conducted oral health research in Kenya with the University of Michigan’s School of Dentistry. Catherine later worked as a Health and Wellness teacher on Rosebud Sioux (Lakota) Reservation in South Dakota. She developed her school district's first K-5 health education curriculum centered on culturally-responsive and trauma-informed practices to elementary students. Most recently, at Yale, Catherine interned in Somaliland to lead a landscape review of the nation's cancer care system with the Hagarla Institute/Hawa Abdi Hospital; and facilitated academic collaboration between Rwandan and Somaliland universities in Rwanda. In addition, Catherine is the 2022 Grantee of the American Public Health Association (APHA) 's ACTION Award for addressing Black-Asian community relations at Yale. Catherine has strong interests in health promotion and education, addressing systemic inequity in healthcare and academia, and strengthening healthcare systems nationally and globally.
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  • Jon Yee

    Student Ambassador, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; MPH Candidate, Health Care Management Program

    Jon is a second-year MPH candidate in the Health Care Management Department at YSPH from Seattle, WA. Jon is a first-generation college student, receiving his BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Before arriving to Yale, he worked at Seattle Children’s in various administrative roles. As a healthcare professional, Jon is motivated by making healthcare accessible to the most vulnerable and under-resourced patient populations. Jon hopes to uplift the voices of patient communities and hold leaders accountable to ensure equitable and quality care is delivered. He had an opportunity to intern with CVS Health where he worked in the home health space and identifying strategies to make those products and services accessible. He is also involved on-campus serving as Co-President for the American College of Healthcare Executives and a board member for the Yale Healthcare Conference. He also is passionate about paying his experiences forward to inspire and empower BIPOC communities to pursue their dreams. Jon stays involved with service and mentorship by his membership in the Historically Black Greek Letter Organization, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc, and mentoring through the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship.
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