White House Awards NYMC Public Health Alumna with PECASE Award
Former President Biden Recognizes Ijeoma Opara, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’11, M.S.W., for Her Work in Science
Ijeoma Opara, Ph.D., M.P.H. ’11, M.S.W., was one of the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), honored by former President Joe Biden. Dr. Opara was recognized for her work in science outreach and prevention research, focusing on empowering urban youth.
Dr. Opara’s work is centralized around strengths-based approaches to youth mental health, substance use, and STI prevention research. As an associate professor at Yale School of Public Health, she founded and directs the Substances and Sexual Health lab that focuses on community-based participatory research in public health. “I hope to inspire the next generation of substance use prevention researchers, particularly those who have encountered these challenges within their own communities,” she states.
Growing up in an urban community in New Jersey, Dr. Opara witnessed the struggles her parents faced navigating the health care system. This inspired her to explore how to promote healthy behaviors from a public health perspective.
Her passion to pursue public health led her to New York Medical College (NYMC). “NYMC was the only Master of Public Health program I applied to at the time,” she says. “I loved my cohort when I was a student, and I will always appreciate the emotional support I received from the faculty and classmates, especially after losing my father during my first year from a heart attack.”
Dr. Opara’s Nigerian parents instilled in her the importance of education at an early age. “Pursue the highest degree possible, so that you can achieve great things” she recalls her parents telling her. Their philosophy led her to not only excel in her studies but enter the world of academics as a professor and inspire other people who may come from similar backgrounds.
As a professor, she draws her teaching style from her training in epidemiology, social work and as a youth and family therapist, as well as her personal life. She has a deep understanding of loss and challenges in life which she applies this perspective to her students, seeing them in a holistic lens, beyond just their grades.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Opara’s approach to her research in urban communities is rooted in four strength-based variables; empowerment in prevention, ethnic identity, sense of community, and social support. She is committed to focusing on the strengths tied to her research, looking for solutions and progress rather than fixating on the negatives, and will take this mindset with her going forward.
