Brenda Senyana, MPH ’10
Q&A with Brenda Senyana, MPH ’10
Principal Planning Analyst at Hennepin County Public Health
Published March 17, 2026
When Brenda Senyana, MPH ’10, arrived at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to study Sociomedical Sciences, she began shaping a career grounded in a commitment to health equity and access to care. Today, as a member of the Alumni Board, she continues to carry that mission forward through her work with communities most affected by HIV/AIDS. Over the past decade, Senyana has focused on expanding access to critical health services for vulnerable populations. As a Principal Planning Analyst with Hennepin County, she leads efforts to coordinate the county’s strategy to end the HIV epidemic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work builds on earlier experience at ICAP at Columbia University, where she served as a Strategic Information Specialist providing technical assistance to HIV/AIDS programs across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Central Asia. Across each role, Senyana has remained dedicated to advancing prevention efforts and strengthening care and treatment for those most at risk—an enduring commitment rooted in her time at Mailman.
You earned your MPH in Sociomedical Sciences with a focus on Health Promotion & Disease Prevention. How did your time at Columbia shape your approach to health equity?
Mailman was my first introduction to public health. It set my foundation for understanding the many factors that impact one’s health, emphasizing the importance of social determinants of health, cultural competence, and evidence-based data-driven approaches. Mailman helped me to go beyond the surface and look at the whole picture. That’s what health equity requires. It requires you to be able to understand that “what works for one person may not work for another.” There are factors that impact one’s ability to reach their full health potential. Disparities must be addressed. Root causes like housing, education, economic stability, access, and safe environments cannot be ignored. Public health programming must account for these factors and aim to not only address one’s health but also the many factors that impact their health as well. This is done by listening to the communities we aim to serve. Hearing their stories, the barriers they face, and the dreams and desires they have for their lives. Meeting them where they are and working alongside them to develop and implement the programming they will use. Lastly, I always tell people that the one thing I loved about my MPH program was that I was taught the skills (e.g., how to design, implement, and evaluate sustainable health programs) and how to apply them to any setting and any population group. That has served me well throughout my career, because it has allowed me to adapt to any situation with confidence.
At ICAP, you provided strategic information support to HIV/AIDS programs across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Central Asia. What did that global experience teach you about health systems and equity?
It taught me that a lot can be done in resource-limited settings and buy-in must be attained at all levels, from top officials who determine policies to clients accessing services. You are taught this in graduate school, but seeing it in action can look different. Cultural competence is key. Respect for those on the ground is key. Collaboration and partnership with them are key.
When it comes to health systems, considering what is already set up in-country and whether it can be changed is important. You learn this by doing assessments and engaging key stakeholders and the community within the country throughout the process. You cannot just come with your agenda; you are there to work in partnership. If changes can be made to streamline and improve the quality of care, you make them. If changes cannot be made, focusing on improving systems by identifying the gaps and barriers and working to eliminate them is essential. These decisions must be made in partnership with providers and the community on the ground.
As for health equity, providing programming that meets the clients where they are is essential to the success of the program. Engaging the community to better understand their needs and implementing data-driven interventions that work are key. For example, while working on HIV prevention in East Africa, one of our key and vulnerable population programs shifted its approach from big community testing events to backpack testing at locations frequented by clients. This program’s outreach team included key and vulnerable population peers, allowing for a continuous voice from the community throughout all phases of implementation. As a result of the change in approach, we were able to identify more individuals who were HIV positive and did not know their status and get them connected to care. We were also able to reach individuals with high need who were HIV negative and get them connected to vital HIV prevention interventions like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
You now coordinate Hennepin County’s strategy to end the HIV epidemic in Minneapolis. How does your global experience inform your local leadership?
My global experience informs my local leadership tremendously. While working at ICAP, I was based in New York and often had to communicate with country teams virtually, only visiting one to three times a year. The success of my working relationship with those in-country required intentionality, respect, partnership, and relationship building. It was important for me to establish a rapport that empowered country teams to see our work as one and their voice as valued. My role was to support them and get them to their goals. It was not a relationship where I was coming in to dictate how things go, but rather providing my expertise and working alongside them to streamline processes and improve outcomes. As a strategic information specialist, I focused a lot on the data. I would always tell my country teams, “You are doing great work, and we want the data to capture all of that work and tell the story of how you are achieving goals. I am here to help you tell that story. How can I help make things easier? What are the challenges you are facing? What gets in the way?” And we would go from there!
I do the same thing in my current role; I do not pretend to have all the answers. Instead, I focus on what the data is telling me; I champion relationship building and connecting with those around me. I prioritize engaging community, providers, clients, government partners, and subject matter experts in the process. We collaboratively work together to break down silos, foster collaboration, and respond to the needs of our community while working to ensure disparity elimination and promotion of health equity.
Minnesota is often seen as a high-performing state in health metrics, yet disparities persist. How do you interpret that contrast?
The data shows that programming is working, but only for certain communities. Disparities within communities of color persist, requiring innovative culturally competent programming that works to address the needs of these communities and promote health equity. We must do this in collaboration with those we are trying to serve.
What continues to motivate you in this work after more than a decade in the field?
Many wins and losses continue to motivate me in this field. Looking at HIV alone, and all the advancements that have been made throughout the years, inspires me. I lived in Uganda in 1994. I was a young child and witnessed many people die, including family, friends, neighbors, and teachers– all because they did not have access to life-saving drugs. Fast-forward to now, and there are many individuals living with HIV who have access to care and are living healthy, vibrant lives. I am so proud to be a part of the story that brought us to this point, and what continues to motivate me is that the work is not done!