Refugees among Us: Cultural Competency and Public Health Challenges

Dr. Judith Kopiyo is pursuing an MPH at UAB with a focus on healthcare management and policy. A medical doctor from Kenya, she has worked in the Infectious Disease unit of a hospital in Nairobi. Her presentation will share her research on the public health challenges refugees and asylum-seekers face adapting to life in America. With a personal perspective on her own experience living in Birmingham, she will make the case for why Americans need to recognize that refugees come from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Cultural competency is essential for health care and social service providers to reduce barriers immigrants face accessing services.