Amal Alsamawi

PhD student, Public Health

Amal is a PhD student in Public Health at the University of Connecticut. She earned her B.A. in Health Policy and Philosophy, followed by her MPH from the University of Michigan. Prior to returning to graduate school she worked at Michigan’s University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute (MI-DDI) at Wayne State University (WSU). In her role, she coordinated MI-DDI’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) initiative in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). For this project, she’s managed the statewide dataset, provided technical assistance to MDHHS and the state’s 10 regional pre-paid in-patient health plans (PIHPs), and developed and delivered HCBS awareness materials to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and family members. Amal hopes to pursue a career in disability and public health research to inform and influence policy and improve public health practice. Her current interests include improving the health care delivery system for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families that may experience compounded barriers to accessing and navigating the healthcare system.