About Kephi Public Health
“To effectively address today’s public health challenges, we must balance best-practice evidence with community-driven solutions. At Kephi, we develop innovative tools and partnerships and design public health solutions that are collaborative, multidisciplinary, community-led, and justice-oriented, always with people at the center. ”
— Andrea Mantsios, PhD, MHS
Kephi Public Health is a qualitative research consultancy founded in 2019 and dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities in public health.
We work with hospitals, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and government agencies to assess community needs, evaluate programs, and design research that puts community priorities at the center.
Our methods include interviews, focus groups, participatory approaches, mixed-methods evaluation, and Health Equity Impact Assessments.
Our orientation is human, based on our belief that the most useful research begins with listening and the most lasting findings are the ones communities themselves help shape.
Why Kephi?
Kephi (KEH-fee) is a Greek word for the spirit of vitality, joy, and connection that comes from being fully present in community. There isn't a clean English translation — it lives in the space between zest for life, aliveness, and being fully in it with people.
We chose this name because it captures something that has long been true of our work: an insistence on understanding not only what's missing in communities, but what helps them thrive. A strengths-based approach grounded in a commitment to appreciative inquiry alongside needs assessment. We believe that research is at its best when it foregrounds the lived experiences, resilience, and strengths of the people involved, not just the conditions they face.
Kephi was previously known as Phia (Public Health Innovation & Action). We are the same team doing the same work with the same commitment to community-engaged research and health equity, but with a new name that more accurately reflects what we've always been about.
Who We Are
Kephi was founded by Andrea Mantsios, PhD, MHS, and has grown into a team of trusted consultants who together carry the work forward. Andrea brings over two decades of experience in community engagement, qualitative methods, and public health research. Our team includes skilled consultants with deep methodological expertise in community-engaged research and an operations team that keeps the work running smoothly.
We are a NYC-certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE). We are Harlem-based, with long-standing roots in supporting the health of New Yorkers and a robust portfolio of work across the United States and globally.
Our Values
We are grounded in human connection.
We care about our clients and the populations we serve in our work. We believe a sense of community fosters support, solidarity, empathy, and compassion. We are a “people person” organization.
We are committed to social impact.
We know that deeply rooted structural inequality has resulted in dramatic health inequities in the U.S. and around the globe. We strive to contribute to systemic change through our work.
We believe in professional excellence.
We take pride in the nature and quality of our work. Being an effective and reliable partner is as important to us as the high-quality work we produce.
We celebrate authenticity.
We believe our highest quality work comes from being our most authentic selves. We value the unique contribution each of us brings to the table, and the dynamic lives we each have beyond our work.