Noble A-W Maseru, Ph.D., MPH

  • Director, Social Justice, Racial Equity and Faculty Engagement in the Health Sciences

Noble A-W Maseru, Ph.D., M.P.H., is the Director, Social Justice, Racial Equity and Faculty Engagement. He accepted the appointment in Health Sciences in August 2020 after serving as Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Director, Center for Health Equity at Pitt Public Health since August 2017. Dr. Maseru retired after ten years public service in Cincinnati as the city’s Health Commissioner, May 2016. Dr. Maseru has a career that spans 40 years in the areas of human services, academia and public health.

Dr. Maseru holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University, a Master of Public Health from the Emory University School of Medicine and a Doctorate in Health Policy from Atlanta University. He earned a fellowship from the Accrediting Commission on Health Education for Health Services Administration in Washington, D.C., and served in the Site Visitor Training Program of the Council on Education for Public Health.

As Health Commissioner Dr. Maseru managed the day-to-day operations of the Cincinnati Health Department leading more than 450 employees in seven divisions. The department's annual budget was over $49 million. Before coming to the City of Cincinnati, Dr. Maseru served as Director and Health Officer for the City of Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion. No stranger to Detroit, he served from 1998-2000 as the Vice President of the Division of Community Health with the Greater Detroit Area Health Council, southeast Michigan's leading coalition of business, labor, health care providers, consumers and government. At that position, he led efforts to identify community-based health needs and design appropriate intervention strategies.

He also has served as a consultant with USAID Africa Division, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the faculty at Clark Atlanta University School or Social Work and as an academic and public health policy scientist with the Public Health Sciences Institute at Morehouse College. While at Morehouse, he led the effort to develop and implement public health programs at historically black colleges and universities establishing the Academy of African American Academics Public Health Programs. He was also the Founding Director of the Morehouse School of Medicines Master of Public Health Program. Currently Dr. Maseru is a member of the National Association of County and City Health Officials Strategic Direction Committee for Social Justice and Health Equity.

Dr. Maseru's 2021-2022 Social Justice Accomplishments

Education & Training

  • Bachelor of Science
  • Master of Public Health
  • Doctorate in Health Policy

Research Interests

Dr. Maseru’s Public Health Practice primary research interests are:

• Public health policy issues associated with the socioeconomic development of municipalities as is relates to social determinants of health; the Health in All Policies perspective and the public sector’s role in achieving health equity for its’ citizenry;

• Public health policy issues related to access to health and health care by medically underserved, vulnerable, ethnic, under resourced, and underrepresented populations; safety net services;

• Pitt Public Health programs to determine diversity issues, initiatives as it relates to underrepresented groups including faculty, staff and students.

Dr. Maseru’s administrative interests are:

• Primary advisor to the administration, faculty, students and staff on Pitt Schools of Health Sciences social Justice, anti-racism and faculty engagement initiatives; 

• Pitt Schools of Health Sciences programs to determine diversity issues, initiatives as it relates to underrepresented groups including faculty, staff and students; advocates for policies that furthers a climate of social justice and racial equity university wide, Pittsburgh City and Allegheny County in general.