Partner Spotlight
This Caregiver is Pursuing Her MPH to Ensure Families Like Hers Never Have to Fight the Healthcare System Alone
>>> Niaomi is one of several learners featured in our 2023 Transparency & Outcomes Report who’ve leveraged the power of online education to transform their lives, their communities, and our world for the better. <<<
For Niaomi Moshier, the path to public health began at her mother’s bedside.
She spent her childhood in New York City emergency rooms, and the experience was harrowing. “I would sit there, hearing her scream in pain as the sickle cell crisis took hold of her, and there was nothing I could do,” she recalls. Helplessness, anger, and frustration filled those moments, as Niaomi witnessed firsthand how healthcare systems often fail those who need them most.
While she served as a caregiver, Niaomi’s father worked 80-hour weeks to keep the family afloat. But their modest stability—a house and a car—meant they didn’t qualify for assistance. Families around them received help with transportation, food, housing, and medical bills, but Niaomi’s fell through the cracks. “In my eleven-year-old mind, and still in my twenty-two-year-old one, people should have access to basic necessities without restriction,” she says.
Finding Her Calling
Finding Her Calling
Realizing these disparities in healthcare access shaped Niaomi’s future. At first, she thought she’d become a doctor, providing free or low-cost care to underserved communities. However, as she pursued her education at Howard University, a class called Black Women in Pop Culture opened her eyes to the broader issues fueling the socioeconomic inequities she experienced. The policies that crippled families like hers weren’t individual problems—they were intersectional, foundational, and built into the system. Her calling was clear: “I realized I didn’t just want to help patients,” she says. “I wanted to tackle the infrastructure that was failing them.”
With her focus now on political science and public health, Niaomi began charting a new path to confront the root of suffering. An internship at the House Committee on Education and Labor solidified her resolve, as a staffer encouraged her to consider a Master of Public Health (MPH) program and, eventually, a career in public health law.
Now a student in The George Washington University’s online MPH program, Niaomi is turning her personal mission into action. The program’s flexibility allows her to balance her studies with a fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian and her roles with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the NYC Youth Agenda. The asynchronous coursework enables her to learn at her own pace anytime and anywhere while making a tangible impact in her community.
“Online learning has given me the freedom to pursue my passions for advocacy and community work,” she says, “while connecting with professionals I otherwise wouldn’t have met.”
One of the most memorable moments in her MPH journey so far came during a class presentation. Assigned to discuss the environmental impact of wildfires, Niaomi chose to focus on incarcerated individuals heroically risking their lives on fire crews for pennies. “I didn’t know if this perspective would be appreciated in the academic space, but I took the risk,” she says. Her professor’s positive response was a turning point, reaffirming Niaomi’s belief that her advocacy has a place in every room she enters.
Transforming Lives
Transforming Lives
Today, Niaomi’s work is already transforming lives. As part of her fellowship, Niaomi is involved in the HEAL’in The Community program, which aims to mitigate Black maternal morbidity and mortality rates in New York City. For her practicum project, Niaomi is expanding an initiative that educates healthcare providers on better supporting Black maternal patients. “It feels like everything has come full circle,” she says. “The little girl who felt powerless in the ER is now working to ensure families like mine don’t have to fight the system alone.”
Niaomi’s advocacy extends beyond the hospital, too. She’s working on mental health policy for NYC’s youth, and through her new blog, @RootedNPublicHealth, she’s mentoring young Black women entering the field. She knows how challenging it is to break into public health and is determined to make it easier for the next generation.
After completing her MPH in May, Niaomi hopes to pursue a doctoral program, with a long-term goal of earning a law degree to focus on public health and protecting civil rights. “I want to become not only an advocate but an agent of change for marginalized demographics,” she says.
Her goals are ambitious: reducing maternal mortality, expanding mental health access for Black girls, and launching mentorship and internship programs to build skills for marginalized youth. “But being an advocate means acknowledging that every group has unique needs for a better life—and working tirelessly to meet those needs,” she says.
Niaomi’s journey from a powerless child in the ER to a powerful advocate for change is proof of what’s possible when education meets determination. Her story is a reminder that one person, fueled by a deep sense of purpose and equipped with the tools to take action, can create a ripple effect that transforms lives.
Latest.
Learn more about us.
At 2U, we’re on a mission—to eliminate the back row in higher education and help partners thrive in the digital age. To learn more about who we are and what we do, follow the links below.