Dr. Charity Oga Omenka

Biography

Charity Oga-Omenka is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. She holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Ahmadu Bello University, a Master of Public Health from the University of the Western Cape, and a Ph.D. in Public Health with a focus on Global Health from the University of Montreal. Following her doctoral studies, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University. Charity’s research primarily focuses on the social determinants of health and their intersection with healthcare access, particularly in resource-limited settings. She has investigated the barriers and facilitators that affect access to public and private healthcare, focusing on marginalized groups and the disparities created by sociodemographic factors. Her work also addresses global health challenges, particularly the impact of political trends and the roles of donor agencies on health outcomes. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, her interest has expanded to include healthcare delivery recovery and the ongoing disparities in access to health services. Charity is dedicated to mentoring graduate students in these areas of research and utilizes qualitative and mixed methods in her work.

Research Interests