Amanda Onwuka joined the faculty of Rice University’s Department of Kinesiology in 2025. She is an accomplished social epidemiologist and health services researcher with over 50 peer-review publications. Her diverse research portfolio has been concentrated in three areas: clinical health outcomes, social determinants of health, and Medicaid policy. Her research reflects a commitment to innovative and effective strategies to advance public health in federal, state, clinical and non-profit contexts. She is a skilled statistician and thoughtful epidemiologist, considering innovative study designs and analytical methods to identify modifiable characteristics that may yield advancements in health equity.

Before coming to Rice, Dr. Onwuka was a Senior Research Scientist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital where she designed and implemented health outcomes and comparative effectiveness research in pediatrics, an analyst at RTI International where she served as a strategic advisor to several federal agencies on equitable grantmaking and innovation, and a Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she provided technical assistance to state public health agencies in the areas of cardiovascular disease, emergency preparedness and healthcare access. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan, a MPH in Health Services Management and Policy from Tufts University, and a BA in English and Community from Tufts University.