Leadership
Our leadership team guides and fosters the research, education and engagement activities of the Community.
Katarzyna Kordas, PhD
Co-Director, Community for Global Health Equity
Associate Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Kasia Kordas guides the Community by facilitating all research activities and global project teams.
Samina Raja, PhD
Co-Director, Community for Global Health Equity
Professor, Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning; Associate Dean for Research and Inclusive Excellence, School of Architecture and Planning; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dept. of Community Health and Health Behavior
Samina Raja guides strategic planning for the Community and leads the Food Equity team.
Kory H. Smith, M Arch, EdD
Founding Co-Director and Co-Lead, Community for Global Health Equity
Chair and Professor, Dept. of Architecture
Kory Smith guides the Community by facilitating its educational activities, and facilitating advisory groups and thematic working groups.
Pavani K. Ram, MD
Founding Co-Director and Co-Lead, Community for Global Health Equity
Research Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Li Lin, PhD
Co-Lead, Community for Global Health Equity
Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Li Lin brings an engineering perspective to his role, cross-coordinating the APEX disciplines and fostering communication across the domains.
Lisa Vahapoğlu, JD, PhD
Program Coordinator, Community for Global Health Equity
Lisa Vahapoğlu guides the program development for the Community for Global Health Equity. She helps to establish relationships with our partners both in Buffalo and around the world.
Jessica Scates
Administrative Coordinator, Community for Global Health Equity
Jessica Scates coordinates the Community for Global Health Equity's office, events and communications, helping to build a strong interactive and supportive network.
Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah, PhD
Assistant Professor, Urban and Regional Planning and Community for Global Health Equity
An interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Boamah utilizes multiple theoretical and methodological lenses to interrogate issues related to urban health, public policy, environmental governance, land tenure, and sustainable urbanism in both Global North and South countries.
Laura E. Smith, PhD
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Environmental Health and Community for Global Health Equity
A nutritional epidemiologist with a background in maternal and child helath research, Dr. Smith's research focuses on measurement of dietary behaviors and assessment of the determinants and health effects of mycotoxin exposure on mothers and children.