Shamsun Nahar

Shamsun Nahar is the Director of Community Health and Prevention at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta, where she leads culturally and linguistically tailored public health initiatives serving immigrant, refugee, and underserved communities throughout Georgia. Her work focuses on adolescent health and prevention through interdisciplinary, systems-level approaches that address the social and structural factors shaping community wellbeing. She leads prevention initiatives related to substance use, mental health literacy, violence prevention, and youth leadership while also engaging parents, educators, and community stakeholders in strengthening protective factors for youth. Prior to her leadership role, Nahar worked in direct services and the grassroots level. Her work now centers on coalition building, policy advocacy, program evaluation, and developing culturally responsive strategies that reflect the needs of diverse communities.

Center for Pan Asian Community Services is the first and oldest organization of its kind in the Southeast dedicated to serving immigrant, refugee, and underserved communities through culturally and linguistically responsive programs in more than 17 languages. CPACS provides comprehensive support services including transportation assistance, public benefits enrollment, food pantry services, housing support, legal and immigration services, workforce development, youth prevention programming, and community health and wellness initiatives. The organization also operates an affordable community health center, CPACS Cosmo, offering primary care, behavioral health, and dental services, including for uninsured individuals and families. Through trusted community relationships and integrated services, CPACS works to reduce disparities, improve access to care and resources, and strengthen long-term community wellbeing.