Khoban Kochai joined HEDI in 2020 and serves as the Assistant Director for Anchor Institution and Culture/Climate. One of her key responsibilities is leading the development of an internal infrastructure to support UC Davis in its Anchor Institution Mission. This is an emerging initiative with the aim of better aligning our institutional operations and intellectual resources – such as hiring, purchasing, and investment – with the needs of our local communities. Khoban was previously the Business and Operations Manager in Faculty Development and Diversity and worked at the UC Davis Center for Health Disparities prior to that. She has more than 15 years of experience in health care management and health equity advocacy and has held positions in nonprofit and academic organizations, both domestically and abroad. Khoban serves on the Staff Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the UC Davis Police Accountability Board, and is the former chair of the Diversity and inclusion Dialogue Committee.  Khoban values staying engaged in grassroots community work and serves on the board of Shifa Community Clinic, a UCD affiliated free clinic and Opening Doors, a non-profit that supports immigrants, asylees, refugees and others on their pathway towards stability, self-sufficiency and belonging.

Khoban has a bachelor’s degree in biology from UC Davis and dual master degrees in Public Health and Islamic studies from UCLA. As a refugee from Afghanistan, Khoban feels deeply connected to work that empowers diverse voices and promotes equity and inclusion. Khoban welcomes questions about herself or the work she is doing at HEDI so feel free to reach out anytime at kbkochai@ucdavis.edu.