United States
Educator
1981-Present
Fatima Ashraf is a strong Muslim woman with an opinion. She is an activist, health educator, public policy specialist, wife and mother of two young boys. Fatima has committed her life to studying, analyzing, and solving a variety of our society’s health problems. Having studied biology at the University of Wisconsin then health behavior at the University of Michigan, Fatima brings a scientific and social understanding to her work. Fatima was hired by past New York City Mayor Bloomberg in 2005 to design policies and programs to address health and education together. She used this opportunity to create the Health Literacy Fellowship for Medical Students, the We Are New York television series for English language learners, the City’s Youth Violence Prevention project, and co-directed the Young Men’s Initiative, the nation’s boldest effort to reduce disparities in health and education among men of color. Today, Fatima is a health policy consultant helping people, organizations, and governments efficiently design, evaluate, and complete their health-related projects and programs.Fatima is executive producer of Muslim State of Mind, a weekly radio production on 99.5FM WBAI in New York City. The show highlights voices of Muslims in America from across the religious spectrum on a variety of issues including, politics, health, sports, fashion, culture, parenting, and of course religion. Fatima is also a deeply spiritual woman and follower of Islam, or Muslim. For over ten years Fatima has been working with Muslim girls and women on issues of self-esteem, identity, and oppression. Fatima has experienced life as a “hijabi” and a “dejabi,” a single woman, a married mom of two, a Muslim woman in politics, and one half of an interracial couple. Her perspectives on Islam and America bring a unique understanding of societal and cultural norms and how they relate to religious practice.
