Meena Safi

Meena worked in the health and education sectors with more than four years of experience in a nonprofit organization in Afghanistan. She holds a Bachelor of Medical Science degree and worked as a physician in Afghanistan. Meena graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and contributed to the University’s Education Equality and Quality project in Afghanistan and Pakistan (EEQAP) in 2018 and 2020. She also worked with the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) on a national level, focusing on the Health Management Information System. In this role, she supported the education of youth in midwifery, nursing, pharmacy, and physiotherapy, emphasizing reproductive health and rights, hygiene, and gender equality. This initiative was funded by the World Bank, NORAD, and the European Union. Additionally, Meena volunteered with a civil society network, advocating for grassroots voices to be heard by the government and international donors. She has hosted TV programs for school student advocacy and was a key member of the Afghan female students’ advocacy team in Kabul. In recognition of her efforts, she received the Most Influential Women Award from Galicia, Spain, in 2021. Meena was the student marshal for social work at the Brown School for 2024. She has worked with various research labs and as a volunteer translator with the law school of Washington University in St. Louis. She will begin her PhD at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, focusing on the mental health of Afghan women and children. Currently, she is working as a research assistant with the Aging Research on Alzheimer’s Disease (ARCHES) project, conducted in partnership with the WashU School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology.