Abi Fapohunda

Dr. Fapohunda is not able to consider PhD advisees for the 2025-26 academic year.

My research, teaching and consulting work is focused on health inequities affecting African Americans in the U.S., Africans in the Diaspora, and on the continent. My training and education, community engagement, and work experience influence my teaching and research interests. I have worked on two multidisciplinary collaborative studies that address the historical and contemporary struggles of Black and Brown communities in Pittsburgh (The Black Women, Femmes and Individuals Health Projects and the Pittsburgh Transformations Project: Race, Migration, Education, and Healthcare).

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. I have completed evaluations of community-based health disparities in behavioral and physical health, nutrition, smoking cessation, HIV/AIDS, and oral health in Black communities. My experience as an independent public health consultant and evaluator spans more than 20 years and I have completed more than  twenty-five health-related projects. I have written technical reports/white papers on Engaging & Empowering Communities by Building Capacity to Address HIV/AIDS and STDs and Improving Access to Oral Health & Dental Care for Underserved Population for Highmark Foundation.