Wafula joins Department of Health Policy and Administration

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Edith Wafula has joined the Penn State Department of Health Policy and Administration as an assistant teaching professor. Wafula joins the department after previously working as an international faculty adviser for Global Programs at Penn State.

“Penn State’s Health Policy and Administration is among the top of health administration degree programs in the country. I am excited to join the department and share with the students what I have learned over the years through my education, training, and experiences,” said Wafula. “I am excited about teaching population health classes and developing a potential course in line with my research interest in minority health.”

Wafula brings previous background in research positions such as a research project manager in maternal fetal medicine at Geisinger Health System, where she worked to implement funded studies. She has contributed towards the efforts of the Penn State Cancer Institute at Hershey Medical Center to address obstacles in the African American community concerning colorectal cancer screening in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In addition, she has collaborated with Penn State faculty members in the Department of Biobehavioral Health, where she worked to study health disparities among minorities, smoking behavior among black males, and examining health care access barriers that black immigrants face in the U.S.

Wafula earned her bachelor of arts in sociology from University of the District of Columbia, and both her master of arts and doctorate in sociology from Howard University. She also holds a master of public health, health systems organization and policy from the Penn State College of Medicine.

A degree in health policy and administration prepares students to work in a variety of health care organizations, such as hospitals, physician practices, home health agencies, health insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, research and policy organizations or governmental agencies.

Learn more about the Health Policy and Administration Department at Penn State.