Colleen M. Nguyen

Colleen M. Nguyen (she/her) is a public health leader and researcher focused on health equity, community engagement, and the representation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and other underserved communities in public health and research. She serves as Executive Director of Asian Women for Health (AWFH), where she leads work in community health, workforce development, health education, community-engaged research, and youth mental health.

Colleen’s career spans community-based organizations and academic research. Prior to AWFH, she worked at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, leading efforts to engage communities historically underrepresented in genomics research. Her earlier experience includes the Computational Epidemiology Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and the International Rescue Committee. Her research interests include cancer, mental health, healthy aging, and the role of lived experience and community knowledge in research, practice, and systems change.

As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Colleen’s connection to this work is also personal. Her approach is grounded in listening to communities, building trust, and creating opportunities for people to shape the work that affects their lives.

Colleen holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, and an MPH from Boston University. She is pursuing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at Tulane University, where her doctoral work focuses on lived experience, storytelling, and mental health stigma. She was named to the de Beaumont Foundation’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health in 2025 and serves on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s Live Long and Well Advisory Council.

Outside of work, Colleen enjoys spending time with her family, coaching youth sports, and sharing an interest in ornithology with her son.