Dr. Rabi Yunusa is an Immigrant African American with experience in the American health and education sector for over 10 years. Originally from Nigeria, Dr. Yunusa earned her Bachelor’s in Medicine and Surgery from Africa’s largest and most renowned university in sub-Saharan Africa, Ahmadu Bello University in 2010. She then joined the Nigerian healthcare system practicing medicine in hospitals and contributing to public health education as a weekly health columnist penning the popular “Talking Health with Dr. Yunusa” for the Nigerian Pilot Newspaper.
Rabi’s is a seasoned health professional, public health researcher and speaker, sharing her experiences and work in various scientific conferences and journals around the world- Nigeria, USA, Italy, The Netherlands and the UK. Her contribution to research is aimed at collaborating with communities in both the U.S. and Nigeria to address health issues that intersect with structural violence such as HIV-related stigma, domestic violence against women and girls and disability justice.
At the University of Washington, Rabi currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health and School of Medicine, where her work is deeply rooted in community engagement that focuses on health equity, social justice, and antiracism. In the classroom, Rabi has led initiatives to bring community and their voices into the classroom, to work with students to exchanges ideas, collaborate and create community led solutions for community-based issues. In this spirit, Rabi has co-chaired the EDI committee in Health Systems and Population Health; co-facilitated a Women of Color writing group; and co-facilitated an all faculty, staff and student journal club. Rabi is the current Associate director of the MPH Global Health program, a program with significant international student contribution, bringing a unique perspective to student mentoring having been a student in the program previously.
Rabi actively engages with students through teaching and progressive mentoring of all students, especially students of color both domestic and international. Her dedication to community-based public health work was recognized with the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award.
Beyond academia, Dr. Yunusa actively engages with her broad African American and immigrant community in Western Washington by being a mentor and an advocating voice through her membership in several community access boards past and present including WAWAC, Snohomish Health District and Everett Public Schools. She is a founding member of TAWA Health Foundation, an international non-profit providing support to women and girl survivors of violence in Nigeria. Rabi’s life and work contributes immensely to molding the next generation of impactful community invested public health leaders.