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Headshot of Richard Wamai

Professor of Cultures, Societies and Global Studies

Prior to joining Northeastern Dr. Richard Wamai was a research fellow in the Takemi Program in International Health at Harvard School of Public Health. Before that, Dr. Wamai was a researcher at Oxford University (UK) Department of Social Policy. His previous work experience spans a number of other institutions including the London School of Economics, the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Institute for Public Policy, the World Bank, the Nordic-Africa Institute in Uppsala Sweden, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya. His research areas are: HIV/AIDS, focusing on male circumcision for HIV prevention, cost-effectiveness and policy in Africa; neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Kenya; human papillomavirus in Africa; and health systems and policy. At Northeastern, with professor Pollastri, Dr. Wamai co-leads the Integrated Initiative for Global Health to champion global health efforts at the university. In Kenya Dr. Wamai has opened The Research on Multi-Disease and Educational Services (TERMES) Center to accelerate his work on neglected diseases.

View CV
  • 2013: Kenyan Diaspora Shujaa Award [Recognized as ‘hero’ “for continued and extensive global research on HIV/AIDS” on the occasion of Kenya’s national holiday “Mashujaa [Heroes] Day”.]. The New England Kenya Welfare Association (NEKWA) (October 20)
  • 2013: Voted ‘Northeastern Favorite Faculty’ by the 2013 graduated Senior Class, Cauldron Yearbook at Northeastern, 2013.
  • 2012- 2012: World AIDS Day Unsung Hero Award Winner, Blood:Water Mission (November 30, 2012).
  • 2012: Distinguished Faculty Award, John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute (April 20)

Other Publications

PubMed Articles

Google Scholar

Researchgate

Courses

Course catalog
  • Epidemiology of Pandemic Diseases & Health Disparities in the African Diaspora

    AFRS 3424

    Examines the epidemiology and determinants of diseases and the public health practice among continental African peoples and African-derived populations in the Americas and elsewhere in the African Diaspora.

  • Introduction to Global Health

    AFRS/PHTH 1270

    This course introduces global health in the context of an interdependent and globalized world focusing on four main areas of analysis: infrastructure of global health; diseases; populations; and terms, concepts and theories. While our focus is on lower-income countries, the course examines issues in a broader global context underscoring the interconnections between global health disparities and global health policy response. Case studies describing interventions to improve healthcare in resource-poor settings in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere are applied to help illuminate the actors, diseases, populations and principles and frameworks for the design of effective global health interventions.