A University of Alabama at Birmingham professor is being recognized at the 2016 Vulcan Community Awards for her significant impact on the Birmingham community.
Henna Budhwani, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Public Health Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, will be honored with the Newcomer award at an awards dinner on Nov. 3 at The Club.
As deputy director of the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health, Budhwani works closely with community partners in the United States and abroad who are interested in improving health outcomes through public health practice. Her research interests include health disparities, with an emphasis on immigrant and minority health, as well as global health, specifically in the areas of reproductive health and health systems strengthening. Budhwani teaches undergraduate and graduate global health courses in the School of Public Health and has active projects across the Caribbean.
Prior to joining UAB in July 2013, Budhwani worked in East Africa and the Middle East in the areas of program implementation, program management, and monitoring and evaluation to assist international nongovernmental organizations better serve vulnerable populations. Budhwani has worked domestically, most recently with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and its subsidiary, Cahaba Safeguard Administrators, as senior statistician evaluating health outcomes and program effectiveness and identifying fraud, waste and abuse for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The Vulcan Awards recognize residents of the seven-county Birmingham region who exemplify civic pride, leadership and progress. An independent panel of diverse citizens chose recipients.