Dr. Katy Backes Kozhimannil PhD, MPA

About Me

I am a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Division of Health Policy & Management at University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, the Director of the Rural Health Research Center, and the Director of the Rural Health Program. I have conducted research in population health and health equity for over a decade. My research applies the tools of health policy and health services research to the field of maternal and child health, with a focus on birthing people, especially Black, Indigenous, and rural birthing people.

My own family has been impacted by the tragedy of maternal mortality—my grandmother's sister died just days after giving birth to her fifth child. I saw maternal mortality shatter my family, and to know that it is still happening—more commonly in rural communities and up to three times more frequently among Black and Indigenous mothers—it’s just unacceptable. I do this work because I believe that both the evidence and capacity exist to improve equity in childbirth and keep moms alive.

I have been published in major journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Health Affairs, American Journal of Public Health, and Medical Care. Media coverage of my research includes feature stories by the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, and the Huffington Post, generating dialogue, interest, and policy action at local, state, and national levels. I was awarded the Heinz Award for Public Policy in 2020.

I earned my BA in Spanish and International Relations from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, my MPA in Policy and Administration from Princeton University, and my PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University.