Dr. Suzanne Randolph Cunningham is receiving her alma mater‘s highest postgraduate honor on March 2 as a 2024 Alumni Awardee for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement from Howard University.
Dr. Randolph Cunningham is a developmental psychologist and foremost authority in public health research, having spent nearly four decades as chief science officer at the MayaTech Corporation, a Silver Spring, Md.-based firm that focuses on addressing existing and emerging public health challenges.
Over the course of her career, she has been recognized as a renowned researcher on the maternal health of Black women and the health of their children. She is a highly sought-after evaluator for community- and academically-based public health programs in substance abuse prevention, health disparities, environmental health, and HIV prevention programs for Black individuals and communities.
“My first professional job was as a pediatric researcher with the Howard University College of Medicine in the 1980s, so there’s something wonderful about the fact that the institution that nurtured me, groomed me, and set me up for success in the world after college would look at my career and honor me in this way,” said Dr. Randolph Cunningham, who earned a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology from Howard with honors in 1974 and is a Golden Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Her sister and nephew are also Howard alumni.
The Howard Distinguished Alumni Award has been presented to 344 alumni in a variety of fields for their exemplary professional achievements and exceptional contributions to society. Past honorees include Vice President Kamala Harris (B.A. ’86) and Pulitzer Prize and winning writer Isabel Wilkerson (B.A. ’84). Nominees are selected by a committee of alumni and university staff, with final approval by the board of trustees.
This year’s celebration takes place March 2 during the historically Black university’s 100th Charter Day dinner at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Randolph Cunningham and Calvert County Schools Superintendent Dr. Andrae Townsel will be honored.
A native of New Orleans, Dr. Randolph Cunningham evaluates major research initiatives at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and is a highly sought-after evaluator for community-based public health programs including substance abuse prevention programs for Bridging Resources in Communities (BRIC) and the National African American Drug Policy Coalition (NAADPC) in D.C.’s Wards 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8; a veterans’ mental health support program in Montgomery County, Md.; HIV prevention, STEM education, oral health, and healthy eating and active living programs in Prince George’s County, Md.; evaluation planning for the board and grantees of the Northern Virginia Health Foundation; leadership training programs for the National Dental Association (NDA); and the Howard University’s Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) grant, HIV Linkages Modalities project, and artificial intelligence training programs.
She has contributed greatly to the field, publishing dozens of research papers, driving organizational strategy, leading focus groups, and directing projects. She has led numerous external evaluations for initiatives addressing minority health issues, such as chronic diseases in Black and Latino communities, as well as reducing gender disparities in populations of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds through community-based participatory research projects.
“I’m honored to continue using my research and evaluation skills to provide meaningful data that may improve the lives of community members in the greater Washington-DC area,” Dr. Randolph Cunningham said.
Read Dr. Randolph Cunningham’s full bio and list of accolades here.