Nawal Umar (she/her/hers)

Policy Analyst

Nawal Umar, MPH joins SIECUS as a Policy Analyst. She is responsible for tracking and monitoring state, local, and federal policies and impending legislation related to sex education and other progressive sexual and reproductive health issues. She is also responsible for developing and managing several SIECUS publications and providing general assistance and support towards advancing key initiatives at SIECUS.

Prior to joining SIECUS, Nawal completed her Masters in Public Health degree in Sociomedical Sciences with a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual, and Reproductive Health from the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. While at Mailman, she developed and wrote her culminating thesis on a research proposal for exploring parent-teen communication about sex and sexual health in Muslim-American families. Her research interests include advocating for comprehensive, inclusive, and culturally responsive sexuality education, reproductive justice, and resolving sexual health disparities. Her previous experience includes working as both a sex educator and health educator as well as being involved in qualitative public health research.  

Nawal received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from the University of Texas at Austin with a concentration in Social/Behavioral Science before pursuing her graduate degree.