Harvard Catalyst Profiles

University of California San Francisco, San Francisco	Postdoc	06/2010	Interdisciplinary Sciences
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA	ScD	06/2008	Planned Social Change and Social Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD	MSN	12/2002	Community Health Nursing
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD	MPH	5/2002	Occupational and Environmental Health
University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD	BSN	05/2000	Nursing
Montgomery College, Rockville, MD	AS	05/1998	Pre-Nursing

Dr. Okechukwu leads the Social and Behavioral Sciences section of Harvard's FACETS summer program. Also, she mentors students’ practicum. She is a transformative leader in health equity and community health with over two decades of experience bridging research, public health, health care, and technology. She is renowned for her ability to unite diverse viewpoints and forge strategic partnerships across sectors, creating impactful, sustainable solutions for underserved populations.

As a faculty member from 2010 to 2018, Dr. Okechukwu conducted groundbreaking research on workplaces as social determinants of health. Her work explored how working conditions impact health and cancer prevention behaviors and included the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions to improve health outcomes. These efforts informed policies and programs addressing systemic health disparities and improving occupational health worldwide.

As Vice President of Health Equity Research at UnitedHealth Group, Dr. Okechukwu led health equity initiatives, such as ensuring responsible use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in healthcare. At MITRE, she directed interdisciplinary teams to develop technology tools for equitable allocation of federal resources, including integrating geospatial health equity metrics into nationwide safety-net health service assessments and conducting research on emerging health disparities in behavioral health services.
(see: Putting Passion for Health Equity into Action; Bringing Mental Health Inequities Out of the Shadows).

Dr. Okechukwu’s exceptional ability to bridge viewpoints, build strategic partnerships, and lead collaborative initiatives continues to drive her mission of advancing health equity and addressing the root causes of health disparities. She began her career as a nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital, providing direct care and mentoring students conducting home visits in underserved communities. These formative experiences, alongside her personal journey overcoming economic adversity, shapes her enduring commitment to advancing health equity through data-driven solutions, innovation, and compassionate engagement.