Destiny Ramjohn
Destiny Q. Ramjohn, Ph.D. is a medical sociologist, program evaluator,
and qualitative researcher whose work addresses the psychosocial
issues confronting socially vulnerable populations with chronic
illnesses, especially HIV/AIDS. The role of gender, sexuality, and
race/ethnicity in shaping the illness experience constitutes a primary
focus of her qualitative dissertation study, which examined
self-identity development among HIV-positive adolescents in New York
City. Dr. Ramjohn’s dissertation examined the ways in which
socio-contextual factors shape HIV-risk, providing a new perspective
on identity formation among Black and Latino youth living with HIV.
Previously, Ramjohn has served as a consultant with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the Mailman School of Public
Health-Office of the Dean, the Harlem Health Promotion Center, and The
Commonwealth Fund. In 2003, Dr. Ramjohn was awarded a three-year
fellowship grant from the American Legacy Foundation. This graduate
fellowship award afforded her the opportunity to closely examine the
Harlem community's capacity for tobacco control through community
based participatory research methods. Dr. Ramjohn has several years'
experience teaching, moderating, and facilitating various workshops,
seminars, and courses employing qualitative methods within public
health evaluation, education, and practice. Recently, she completed a
summer fellowship in Tamil Nadu, India where she designed a process
evaluation of a community health worker program in three rural
villages.