Bio

ABOUT ME

Dr. Abi Fapohunda is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and have conducted several studies among African Americans, Africans in the Diaspora and on the African Continent. She is an epidemiologist and health educator with over 20 years’ experience of running her consulting company and being in public health. She conducted needs assessments and program evaluations on the effectiveness of numerous community-based initiatives related to health disparities in both behavioral and physical health, including nutrition, smoking cessation, HIV/AIDS, oral health and social service programs in Black communities.

The focus of her current research is exploring factors that contribute to a healthy community for Black immigrants. Dr. Fapohunda is also conducting research abroad training healthcare practitioners on cancer awareness. In February 2019, Lakeshore Cancer Center in Lagos, Nigeria and Dr. Fapohunda completed training workshops on cancer awareness for healthcare practitioners. Currently funded by the Rotary Global Grant, she and her team developed an eLearning training platform “Learn with Lakeshore” to train healthcare practitioners on cancer awareness in Lagos, Nigeria. She is also a PI on the Pittsburgh Transformations Project funded by the Pitt Momentum Award. This is a multidisciplinary, collaborative study that addresses the historical and contemporary struggles of underrepresented U.S. populations.

In my international health research work, I collaborated with two organizations: Gift of Living Donation (GOLD), United Kingdom, focusing on living organ donation among Blacks and Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC), Nigeria, focusing on cancer care. My work with LCC included developing an e-learning training program on cancer awareness, diagnosis, and treatment for Nigerian healthcare practitioners.

I started teaching in 2007 and the courses I teach and have taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels cover the following topic areas: African American health, Social Determinants of Health, Health Disparities/Inequities, Global Health, and Research Methods and Intervention in Minority Communities. In addition to teaching and research, I have experience conducting needs assessments, qualitative/quantitative analyses and evaluation of program effectiveness.