About
A native of India, Paj Nandi has lived in the U.S. for nearly 25 years and happily calls Seattle home. Early in his career, Paj did fieldwork in India and Thailand on topics ranging from childhood education to tuberculosis prevention, where he learned firsthand the value and efficacy of using culturally conducive and community-rooted approaches to improve health. Paj earned his B.S. degree in Community Health from Western Washington University and an MPH from the George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Paj recently served as the Director of Community Relations and Equity for the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). As an agency leader, he was responsible for advising the Secretary of Health, the State Health Officer, executive, and other agency leadership on key equity and community relations issues and represented DOH on the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities. He also directed his team’s work on DOH’s equity and social justice strategic initiatives, including within the COVID-19 pandemic response. In addition, Paj built and sustained partnerships with the Governor’s Office, non-governmental entities, community-based organizations, and academic partners, with an emphasis on achieving health equity and eliminating structural inequities.
Paj’s prior experience at DOH and in the private and healthcare sectors include leading and managing statewide chronic disease prevention and management programs, budget, and professional teams; working on MCH/adolescent health campaigns and priorities; and leading enterprise-wide employee health and wellness benefits efforts. He also served on the Board of the Washington State Public Health Association for seven years, including as President in 2016-17 and more recently served on the Health & Wellbeing Curriculum Committee for Leadership Tomorrow in Seattle highlighting public health issues through a racial equity and justice lens.
Currently, Paj is exploring new pathways within public health practice, including independent consulting and teaching as clinical faculty at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health.
Education
- BS, Community Health, Western Washington University, 2001
- MPH, Global Health Promotion & Policy, George Washington University, 2003
