Catherine Mwai

Catherine Mwai is a Postgraduate Associate at the Yale School of Public Health, dedicated to advancing health equity. At the Substances and Sexual Health (SASH) Lab, she focuses on community-based participatory and strength-based prevention research. She holds a Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Science from the Yale School of Public Health.

As a graduate student, she received the 2022 Advocacy on Campuses that Impacts Our Nation (ACTION) award from the American Public Health Association. In the same year, Catherine led an inaugural cancer care assessment in Somaliland (Northern Somalia). She also served as a delegate with the Somaliland Ministry of Health to foster healthcare and health workforce collaboration between Rwandan and Somaliland universities.

Formerly an educator, she developed a culturally-responsive health education curriculum for Native American youth in the Great Plains region. In the medical technology space, Catherine led clinic and community initiatives aimed at minority recruitment and retention for health research. Catherine’s global and national public health expertise focuses on healthcare access and patient-centered care through research and implementation. At the SASH lab, Catherine addresses health disparities among historically marginalized populations, with an emphasis on urban youth in the United States.