Celebrating Our 2026 PhD Commencement Speaker: Ma’Adjoa N. Manu

We are proud to announce Ma’Adjoa N. Manu as our 2026 PhD Commencement Speaker. Please join us in congratulating Ma’Adjoa on this remarkable achievement and in celebrating the impact of her work. We are thrilled and honored to have her share in this milestone moment with our graduates.

Ma’Adjoa N. Manu is a researcher and educator completing her doctoral degree in Community Health. Integrating public health, business administration, and accounting, her work advances health equity and efficiency through population health frameworks, with a focus on disability health, reproductive health, and community well-being. Over the past decade, she has partnered with communities, universities, and global organizations—including the WHO, UNAIDS, and USAID—across Ghana, Japan, and the United States. Her project portfolio spans adolescent sexual health, pregnancy and delivery care, reproductive life planning among people with intellectual disabilities, education as a climate solution, and positive aging.

Ma’Adjoa currently teaches college courses, including Our Community Our Health, and serves on the Assessment Council at Oregon Health & Science University and the board of the Oregon Public Health Association. She volunteers to provide resilience and hope training for youth with adverse experiences; most of the youths are in foster care in Oregon and Washington. Ma’Adjoa values faith, compassion, and wholeheartedness. She enjoys cooking, admiring new and the same places, armchair traveling, and exploring pre-colonial Africa.

As we look ahead to our 2026 Commencement, we are excited to welcome Ma’Adjoa N. Manu to the stage. Her voice, experience, and dedication to equity and community make her an inspiring choice to address our graduates and celebrate their journey.

Congratulations, Ma’Adjoa—we are honored to celebrate you.