Ohemaa B. Poku is an Assistant Professor of Global Mental Health (in Psychiatry) and Director of Education and Training Initiatives for the Columbia-WHO Center for Global Mental Health at Columbia University. Her research focuses on the cross-cultural interpretations of mental illness and how stigma impacts access to psychosocial care. She is especially known for utilizing community based participatory research methods and a variety of qualitative methods to culturally and contextually tailor HIV and mental health services for adolescents and young adults. Dr. Poku holds a Bachelors in History and International Development from Mount Holyoke College, an MPH in Global Health from Boston University, an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work, and a PhD in Global Mental Health from Johns Hopkins University. Outside of work, Dr. Poku is on the Board of the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance, where she seeks to improve park activities and create outdoor opportunities for all ages.
Recent Publications:
- Ahmed, C., Van Pelt, A., Buttenheim, A., Poku, O., Rice, B., Lowenthal, E., Brooks, M. Implementation Determinants of Problem-Solving Therapy Delivered by Near-Peer Lay Counselors for Youth Living with HIV in Botswana: Lay Counsellor Perspectives (Accepted) (Global Implementation Research and Applications)
- Eschliman, E.L., Hoang, D., Khoshnam, N., Ye, V., Kokaze, H., Ji, Y., Zhong, Y., Morumganti, A., Xi, W., Huang, S., Choe, K., Poku, O.B., Alvarez, G., Nguyen, T., Nguyen, N.T., Shelley, D., & Yang, L.H. A “What Matters Most” approach to investigating intersectional stigma toward HIV and cancer in Hanoi, Vietnam. (Accepted) (Journal of the National Cancer Institute)
- Eschliman, E. L., Hoang, D., Khoshnam, N., Ye, V., Kokaze, H., Ji, Y., Zhong, Y., Morumganti, A., Xi, W., Huang, S., Choe, K., Poku, O. B., Alvarez, G., Nguyen, T., Nguyen, N. T., Shelley, D., & Yang, L. H. (2024). A “What Matters Most” approach to investigating intersectional stigma toward HIV and cancer in Hanoi, Vietnam. JNCI Monographs, 2024(63), 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/jncimonographs/lgae002
- Heck, C., Dam, A., Yohannes, K, Deacon, J., Kripke, K., Meyers, K., Poku, O., Obermeyer, C., Wiant, S., Quigee, D, Larson, M., Malati, C., Sobieszczyk, M., Rueda, S., Castor, D. (2024). Lessons learned from daily oral PrEP delivery to inform national planning for PrEP ring introduction for women in low- and middle-income countries: a qualitative inquiry of international stakeholders. BMJ Global Health, 9(5), e014709. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014709
- Morrison, C., Mellins, C. A., Synder, C., Shea, E., Kluisza, L., Robbins, R., Poku, O., Fisher, P., Abrams, E., Wiznia, A., & Mufson, L. (2024). Optimizing generalized anxiety disorder screening in young adults perinatally affected by HIV: A psychometric analysis. Journal of Mood & Anxiety Disorders, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjmad.2024.100066
- Poku, O. B., Ahmed, A., Liotta, L., Kluisza, L., Robbins, R. N., Abrams, E. J., & Mellins, C. A. (2024). Aidsimpact 2023: “We did more than survive”: lessons learned from studies of risk and resilience of young people growing up with HIV and mental health needs. AIDS care, 1–12. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2024.2308745
- Poku, O., Attoh-Okine, N. D., Corbeil, T., Chen, Y., Kluisza, L., Ahmed, A., Liotta, L., Morrison, C., Dolezal, C., Robbins, R. N., & Mellins, C. A. (2024). Assessing the Validity of the Social Impact Scale Among a Longitudinal Cohort of Adolescents and Young Adults Living With Perinatally Acquired HIV. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), 96(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0000000000003390