For Praise Ebimaye Tangbe, the path into maternal and child health did not begin in a classroom or a dataset. It began with women navigating pregnancy amid barriers that never should have existed. Watching underserved families struggle to access basic perinatal care made something unmistakably clear to her early on: positive maternal health outcomes are not accidents. They are shaped by systems, structures, and whose voices are valued.
That realization has guided Praise’s work for more than eight years, anchoring a career in health education and promotion that bridges research, teaching, and community engagement with a singular focus on health equity.
Redefining What “Impact” Looks Like
Early in her career, Praise measured success the way many public health professionals do—by programs delivered and numbers reached. Over time, that definition expanded.
“Impact now means sustainability, community ownership, and long-term systems change,” she explains. For Praise, meaningful progress shows up in strengthened partnerships, improved health literacy, and communities equipped to advocate for themselves. Even small, consistent changes can create ripple effects that last well beyond a single intervention.
Teaching the Next Generation of Change Agents
Today, Praise serves as an Assistant Professor at Southern Connecticut State University, where her teaching is deeply informed by years of applied public health practice. Rather than separating theory from reality, she intentionally brings the two together, using real-world case studies, community data, and lived experiences from her maternal and child health work.
Her classroom emphasizes experiential learning, cultural humility, and critical thinking. But more than anything, she wants students to leave with confidence and purpose.
“I want them to see themselves not just as professionals,” she says, “but as advocates and change agents.” For Praise, effective health education is rooted in empathy, respect, and partnership with the communities being served.
Lessons from the Field: Mississippi State Department of Health
Before entering academia, Praise worked as a Program Manager with the Mississippi State Department of Health, where she led community engagement initiatives, supervised research training fellows, and helped build partnerships at the state, county, and community levels.
One experience continues to stand out: watching community members evolve from research participants into leaders. Through the Community Research Fellows Training Program, individuals gained confidence, applied new skills, and began advocating for their own communities.
“That transition reaffirmed the power of capacity-building,” Praise reflects. It also reinforced lessons that continue to guide her work today—collaboration, accountability, and systems thinking are essential for sustainable public health change.
Centering Black Women Through the Embrace Project
Among Praise’s proudest accomplishments is the implementation of the Embrace Project study intervention. The project was born from a persistent and troubling reality: Black women continue to experience disproportionate maternal health disparities, often without culturally affirming support.
The Embrace Project was intentionally designed to change that. By integrating culturally responsive health education, behavioral lifestyle strategies, and peer support, the intervention centered the voices, strengths, and lived experiences of Black women.
Building trust was not easy. Structural barriers and skepticism toward research required patience, listening, and flexibility. But the process reinforced a critical truth for Praise: culturally responsive interventions must be community-informed and grounded in mutual respect.
Turning Research into Action: Moms and Infants Care Network
Praise’s commitment to equity extends beyond research and teaching. She is also the founder of Moms and Infants Care Network (MICN), a maternal and child health nonprofit focused on underserved and riverine communities in Nigeria.
MICN reflects her core values—equity, accessibility, education, and empowerment—while allowing her to translate research into action.
Amplifying Community-Centered Research on a National Stage
That commitment to equity was on full display when Praise presented at the 2025 American Public Health Association conference in Washington, D.C. The experience provided an opportunity to elevate community-centered maternal health research and engage with public health professionals from across the country.
Her message was consistent with her career’s throughline: public health research and practice must center equity, community voices, and lived experience—not as an afterthought, but as the foundation.
Looking Ahead
As Praise continues to build a career that seamlessly integrates research, practice, and teaching, she remains grounded in the same principles that shaped her early work.
In every setting she occupies, Praise Ebimaye Tangbe is doing more than advancing public health knowledge. She is helping ensure that the communities most affected by inequity are seen, heard, and empowered to lead change themselves.