Hassanatu Blake

Dr. Hassanatu Blake is a global health leader, currently focusing on digital innovation and health equity support in marginalized populations and hard-to-reach communities globally. Her expertise spans global health, environmental health, and occupational health, with particular attention to how these domains shape health outcomes in vulnerable populations.

Dr. Blake serves as Associate Clinical Professor, Inaugural Director of the Global Health Undergraduate Program, and Director of Undergraduate Studies (Global, Environmental, & Occupational Health) at the University of Maryland. She prepares the next generation of public health leaders through an interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizing global experiential learning, world languages, and collaborative innovation. Her scholarship critically examines how structural inequities, environmental exposures, occupational hazards, and cultural contexts shape health behaviors, with particular focus on leveraging technology to overcome barriers to health in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Dr. Blake's recent research focused on digital health solutions for HIV prevention among female sex workers in Cameroon, while also investigating environmental and occupational health risks in resource-limited settings. Her work has been published in leading journals such as PLOS Digital Health and AIDS Care. Her commitment to community-engaged research translates evidence into actionable solutions that address the social, environmental, and occupational determinants of health.

Dr. Blake has previously worked with global organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), FUSE Corps (Birmingham, AL) and BroadReach Healthcare addressing HIV prevention and care, COVID-19 response, environmental health and justice assessment, health systems strengthening, and health program cycle improvement in the US and several African countries.

Dr. Blake advises initiatives at UMD and nationally. She advises the new student group, the National Society of Black Women in Medicine at the University of Maryland. Appointed by Maryland Governor Wes Moore to the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) in 2023, Dr. Blake shapes policies to improve healthcare quality, access, and equity across the state. In 2025, she was nominated and serves on the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Global Engagement and Partnerships Advisory Committee and American Public Health Association (APHA) Inaugural Disability Justice Advisory Board. A recipient of several recognitions including being named a White House Champion of Change in 2012 and Rock Health's Top 50 in Digital Health in 2024, Dr. Blake bridges research, policy, and community empowerment to help shape the future global health landscape.