Miho Kawanami

President, Student Advocate Group
Trauma-Free NYC, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Miho Kawanami is a first-year MPH student in the Department of Epidemiology, with a focus on mental health and the prevention of mental illness across the life course. With an educational background in nursing and public health, her academic and professional experiences have shaped her interests in trauma-informed care, workplace mental health, and health equity.

Miho’s passion for supporting mental health began during her clinical and public health nursing work in Japan, where she witnessed firsthand how childhood experiences, job-related stress, and the stigma surrounding mental illness affected both healthcare professionals and patients. She later joined a Japanese community based organization named Ichikawa Minnano Hokenshitsu focused on mental health support and improving mental health literacy in the Ichikawa city, Chiba prefecture. There, she helped create safe and welcoming spaces for open dialogue around mental health concerns, aiming to reduce stigma and increase access to care.

She is particularly interested in the long-term mental health impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), chronic stress, and social determinants of health. These interests continue to guide her graduate work, as she investigates the biological and structural factors contributing to mental illness, including the impact of cultural norms and occupational stress.

As President of the Trauma-Free NYC Student Advocate Group, Miho supports efforts to integrate trauma-informed practices into public health systems and raise awareness of trauma’s impact on individuals and communities.