Introducing Our Newest Impact Scholars

The Center for Global Health Equity at the University of Michigan is thrilled to welcome three exceptional new Impact Scholars: Lauren Ward, PhD, Melvin Obadha, DPhil, and Érinn C. Cameron, PhD. Each brings deep expertise, a commitment to equity, and a drive to translate rigorous research into meaningful change for vulnerable communities around the world.

Protecting Children's Health from Environmental Exposures

Lauren Ward, PhD, joins the Impact Scholars program with a focus on environmental health and its effects on children. As a member of the Chitwan Valley Family Study team, she will investigate the impacts of environmental exposures on child health outcomes, working alongside expert researchers at the University of Michigan and in Nepal.

Ward is drawn to the program's emphasis on collaborative, impact-driven research. "I'm especially excited about the program's emphasis on collaboration and conducting research with the intention of creating real-world impact," she said. "Working alongside other Impact Scholars who share a commitment to interdisciplinary global health research is an incredible opportunity to grow, contribute, and help translate research into practical solutions." As she expands her skills as an environmental health scientist within an interdisciplinary team, Ward's work stands to advance understanding of how environmental conditions shape health trajectories for children in one of South Asia's most studied longitudinal cohort settings.

Climate Change and the Health of Kenya's Pastoralists

Melvin Obadha, DPhil, brings a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective to the center, grounded in health economics, health policy, and health systems . He completed a DPhil in Clinical Medicine (Health Economics and Health Policy) at the University of Oxford and was an Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders (IDeAL) PhD fellow at KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme. Under the primary mentorship of Professor Bilal Butt in the School for Environment and Sustainability, and with a mentorship committee comprising Professor Omolade Adunbi, Associate Professor Heidi Hausermann, and Research Assistant Professor Geoffrey Siwo, Obadha will investigate how climate change is affecting the health of pastoralist communities in Kenya's drylands.

His research sits at the intersection of climate change and infectious diseases, examining how factors like water scarcity, water quality, and extreme weather events affect health outcomes for Kenya's pastoralist communities. What drew him to the Impact Scholars program, he says, was its departure from traditional academic incentive structures. "In academia, emphasis has traditionally been on outputs such as publications and grants awarded. But not impact. This is what I found different from traditional postdocs."

Obadha is energized by the opportunity ahead. "I am really looking forward to using my skills and experience to conduct research that aims to understand and transform the lives of vulnerable populations in Kenya such as pastoralists. I am excited, motivated, and ambitious to embark on this journey, learn, grow, roll up my sleeves, and get things done."

Heat, Housing, and Mental Health in Informal Settlements

Érinn C. Cameron, PhD arrives at CGHE with an extensive background in global mental health and a sharp focus on the health consequences of climate change for women and families. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology, postdoctoral training as a T32 Global Psychiatry Clinical Research Fellow at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, and completed an HBNU NIH Fogarty Global Health Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her primary mentor is Ana Paula Pimental-Walker at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and her mentorship committee includes Carina Gronlund, Marie O'Neill, and Gabriel Harp.

Cameron's work centers on assessing the physical and mental health impacts of interventions designed to mitigate rising ambient heat in informal settlement housing — research that bridges clinical psychology, architecture, urban planning, environmental health, and public health in ways that few scholars are positioned to do. She was drawn to CGHE's model of equity-centered, community-engaged inquiry because of "its commitment to mentoring junior scholars and its unique emphasis on equity-focused, community-engaged research and translating evidence into tangible impact for vulnerable populations," she said. "This opportunity aligns perfectly with my long-term goal of advancing scalable, sustainable interventions that promote health and resilience for women and families in climate-affected settings."

Building the Next Generation of Global Health Leaders

Together, Ward, Obadha, and Cameron represent the breadth and ambition of the Impact Scholars program — spanning environmental epidemiology, climate and infectious disease, and global mental health, with field sites stretching from Nepal to Kenya to informal urban settlements worldwide. Through multidisciplinary mentorship committees, cohort-based learning, and a shared commitment to measurable real-world impact, they will advance their own research portfolios while contributing to CGHE's mission of building a more equitable global health landscape.