Willi Horner-Johnson

Willi Horner-Johnson is a Professor at the OHSU-Portland State University School of Public Health and the OHSU Institute on Development and Disability. She holds a Ph.D. in Community Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2002). Her work focuses on healthcare access disparities for people with disabilities, particularly in reproductive health, pregnancy outcomes, and abuse prevention. She directs the Oregon Office on Disability and Health and co-directs the National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research. Her leadership roles include past chairs of the American Public Health Association’s Disability Section and the Oregon Public Health Association’s Disability Section.

Key research interests include:

• Healthcare barriers faced by disabled individuals
• Reproductive and maternal health outcomes for disabled women
• Intersectional disparities in healthcare access
• Public health policy for disability equity

Her awards include the 2024 OHSU Distinguished Faculty Award and the 2021 Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize. She serves on the editorial board of the Disability and Health Journal.

Her research has explored pregnancy intendedness, severe maternal morbidity disparities, and emergency department utilization by people with disabilities. Collaborative projects include preconception education for mobility-impaired individuals and qualitative studies on disability and pregnancy.

Labs/Teams: National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research, Oregon Office on Disability and Health. Active in community-engaged research and policy advocacy.