Ashya Smith

NREI Fellow

Discipline: Health Equity

Ashya Smith, a Detroit native, is dedicated to using her skills in policy analysis, research, and advocacy, and lived experience as a former Medicaid beneficiary, to disrupt the systemic health disparities plaguing disadvantaged communities. She holds a Bachelor’s in International Studies: Global Health from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in Public Health in Health Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of the Delta Omega honor society.

As a policy analyst, she combined advocacy with research to develop a comprehensive policy memo with recommendations on how to best address the challenges of Medicaid unwinding for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

She had roles with the CDC John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholar Program at UCLA, Birth Detroit, United States of Care, Center for Health and Research Transformation, and conducted Sickle Cell Disease research in Accra, Ghana. She has published op-eds, research papers, and policy explainers.

Ashya will pursue a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) in Health Policy and Management to open a community-based research and policy advocacy center.