Free Perinatal Education ECHO Series Now Available
May 21, 2026
The Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) is offering a free, virtual ECHO series on perinatal education.
State Hires News Center for Health Equity Director
January 18, 2024
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has hired Odichinma (Odi) Akosionu-DeSouza as its new director of the Center for Health Equity (CHE).
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| Odichinma (Odi) Akosionu-DeSouza |
Prior to joining MDH, Akosionu-DeSouza worked at the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity as a project manager and research scholar. She also served as the director of operations for The Research in Color Foundation, leading efforts to support scholars who are interested in pursuing a PhD degree in economics and related fields, with the overarching goal to improve the number of underrepresented scholars within these fields.
The Center for Health Equity, created in 2013 to advance health equity, has grown dramatically, from about a dozen staff in 2020 to approximately 50 today. Recognizing this growth and the center’s role in providing support and technical assistance across the agency, the executive office has elevated the Center for Health Equity to a division named the Division of Health Equity Strategy and Innovation.
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