Omna Berhanu

Associate

I Do This Work Because

Health is one of the few experiences that intrinsically connect us as humans, yet we fail to recognize and protect that shared vulnerability until it’s too late, allowing systems to fail those they deem unimportant. I'm interested in this work because I want to challenge the marginalization of people and communities through equity-based research and programming, improving health outcomes for all Coloradans.

Omna Berhanu joined CHI in 2026. Her work includes qualitative and quantitative analysis and support, economic impact analysis, data visualization, and modeling.

Before coming to CHI, Omna was a Program Associate for the Sadie Collective, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., dedicated to expanding access to the next generation of leaders in economics and related fields. There she conducted key informant interviews, supported educational and networking programs, and designed a workforce development program for Black and first-generation college students. As a 2025 Randal Fellow with the Piedmont Environmental Council, she honed her skills in environmental policy and analysis, including conducting a GIS-based analysis to align land parcelization trends with regional conservation planning goals.

Omna holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. As part of a summer fellowship in Washington, D.C., she researched the presence of universities and life expectancy in commuting zones. She also served as an Expanding Diversity in Economics Fellow at the University of Chicago.

In her free time, Omna enjoys reading, screenwriting, hiking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Skills: R, STATA, ArcGIS Pro, and MATLAB research tools.