Karriem Watson, DHSc, MS, MPH
Executive Director, Mile Square Health Center
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About
Karriem Watson comes from immediate experience as the Chief Engagement Officer for The All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this national role, he led the program’s efforts to foster relationships with participants, communities, researchers, and providers across the United States to help build one of the largest, most diverse health databases of its kind to study health and illness. His focus in this role has been to connect with people and populations underrepresented in scientific research, while inviting them to participate in the development and discovery of new therapeutics and models of care.
Prior to this role with the NIH, Watson spent over 15 years as a community-engaged research scientist with the Mile Square Health Center FQHC network and the Chicagoland area. Previously, he was the Associate Executive Director at Mile Square, while also serving as the associate director of community outreach and engagement for the University of Illinois Cancer Center and as a research assistant professor in the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health. Beyond his work with UIC, he has served as co-lead of the All of Us Engagement Core at the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, cultivating positive relationships with the program’s participant ambassadors.
Watson received a Doctorate in Health Science (concentration in global health), a Master of Science in Basic Medical Research, and a Master in Public Health, with a community health sciences concentration. He has served as a principal investigator on multiple projects including those funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, PCORI, and The All of Us Research Program. His expertise in community-academic partnerships is also supported in his former role as board chair of the Community Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH). His contributions have earned him recognition by the Chicago Urban League, American Heart Association, LUNGevity Foundation, and others.