Naomi Yonas is a rising junior at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Public Health. Fueled by her commitment to advancing health equity, she strives to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities by effectively linking public policy with accessible healthcare solutions.
This summer, Naomi served as an intern at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), collaborating with Dr. Ruben Robbins on the development of NeuroScreen—a mobile application designed to assess neurocognitive functioning in people living with HIV in low- to middle-income countries. In her role, she made significant contributions by analyzing and interpreting neurocognitive performance data, organizing neurocognitive scores, and enhancing the app’s clinical utility and self-use accessibility.
In addition to her internship, Naomi participated in the Summer Public Health Scholars Program at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. As first author, she led an independent research project titled “The Prevalence of Stigma and Its Relationship to Neurocognitive Performance in Malaysian Adults Living with HIV,” conducted in partnership with the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI).
Naomi is passionate about pursuing a career at the intersection of public health policy and research, with a focus on building more equitable systems of care for marginalized communities—particularly women and individuals impacted by disease-related stigma. She is honored to have taken part in the Columbia-WHO Center for Global Mental Health Summer Internship Program and looks forward to continuing her work in global and community health.