Dr. Bahby Banks, CEO of Pillar Consulting, a global program evaluation research firm, helps organizations assess the impact of their initiatives. In her role, Dr. Banks partners with grassroots, community-based and non-profit organizations to provide consultation on the development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of their efforts.  A scholar-activist committed to equity and inclusion, Dr. Banks actively engages leaders in strategic thought around health communication and community engagement and advocacy. Banks’ work has led to a career that has spanned the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Australia, including contributions to the World Health Organization, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Promundo, and academic institutions across the United States. She currently serves as an adjunct assistant professor in the Public Health Leadership Program at UNC at Chapel Hill, and continues to invest in the next generation of public leaders through mentorship, training and practical experiences in their communities.

Banks’ clients have included organizations in rural and urban areas; she recently provided consultation on three initiatives addressing health disparities experienced among historically marginalized communities: Nurture Jew Jersey (maternal and infant mortality), Susan G. Komen African American Health Equity Initiative (breast cancer) and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (child literacy). Last year, she launched “Not A Host”(or “NAH”), a multimedia grassroots campaign designed to advance health literacy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort has been supported by Duke Health, Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest University, Facebook Small Business Grant and RIDE UNITED NC, a collaborative between Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, Duke Energy, United Way of the Greater Triangle, NC Department of Health and Human Services.

Under Banks’ leadership, Pillar Consulting has spearheaded efforts funded by the National Science Foundation, DuPont Foundation, deBeaumont Foundation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.

Dr. Banks was recently recognized with the Boston University School of Public Health Distinguished Alumni Award and was selected as the inaugural keynote speaker for the MPH@UNC Immersion Program. Dr. Banks received her bachelor of science in biology from Florida A&M University, master of public health in epidemiology and biostatistics from Boston University and doctorate of philosophy from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

In her spare time, Dr. Banks enjoys trying new cuisine, traveling, spending time with family and friends, drumming, dancing and karaoke.  Learn more at www.bahbybanks.com.