Dr. Kai A. Stewart
Dr. Kai A. Stewart, PhD, MPH, CHES is an Associate Professor of Practice and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program Director. She is a public health leader, researcher, evaluator, and educator with more than 25 years of experience advancing health equity through applied research, evidence-informed practice, and public health systems improvement.
Prior to joining Mercer University full-time, Dr. Stewart spent more than 15 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including serving as a lead Health Scientist in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. There, she led and supported national initiatives focused on chronic disease prevention, diabetes, social determinants of health, health equity, program evaluation, and systems improvement.
Throughout her career, Dr. Stewart has directed and contributed to large-scale research and evaluation initiatives across national, state, local, tribal, and community settings. Her portfolio includes oversight of programs representing more than $28.5 million in programmatic investments and over $1 million in research and evaluation activities. She has collaborated with community coalitions, state and large city/county health departments, and tribal organizations and partnered with leading public health organizations, including the National Association of County and City Health Officials, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Community Pharmacists Association, and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. Through these collaborations, she has strengthened evaluation capacity, supported workforce development, expanded technical assistance, and advanced the translation of research into public health practice.
An accomplished graduate and doctoral educator, Dr. Stewart served as an adjunct faculty member at Mercer for eight years and brings an additional 17 years of teaching experience from other academic institutions. Her teaching spans health equity and diverse populations, community health assessment, program planning and evaluation, maternal and child health, and applied public health practice. She has also mentored DrPH and Doctor of Philosophy students through dissertation development and contributed to doctoral research for over 100 students. Her scholarly interests include health equity, social determinants of health, chronic disease prevention and management, implementation science, program evaluation, community-engaged research, and public health systems transformation.
As Director of Mercer University’s DrPH Program, Dr. Stewart will provide strategic academic leadership focused on student success, community engagement, and practice-based learning. She is committed to expanding opportunities for students to engage in meaningful partnerships, applied scholarship, and interdisciplinary collaboration that prepare them to lead across diverse public health settings. Dr. Stewart is an active member of the American Evaluation Association, American Public Health Association, and Society for Public Health Education. Dr. Stewart remains committed to bridging research, education, and practice to strengthen public health leadership, advance evidence-informed decision-making, and improve the health and well-being of communities.