Abdulkerim’s professional journey reflects a deep passion for public health and community well-being. He most recently served in the Maine CDC’s Office of Population Health Equity (OPHE) as a Health Equity Partnership Coordinator. In this role, he helped launch the Health Equity Advisory Council, which seeks to ensure that OPHE’s programming and strategy are responsive to community needs, with an explicit focus on BIPOC communities. He previously served as the COVID Community Care Coordinator for Maine DHHS, working to address public health challenges posed by the pandemic. In 2010, he co-founded the New Mainers Public Health Initiative (NMPHI), helping grow it from a volunteer endeavor to an incorporated non-profit with paid staff, and serving as its Executive Director.
Abdulkerim earned his undergraduate degree in Applied Science at the University of Maine at Augusta. He is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Public Health at the University of New England.