Dr. Mona Rigaud

Mona Rigaud migrated from Haiti to Queens, New York in her teens. As an undergraduate at Princeton University, she was a romance language major with minors in African American and Latin American Studies. She went on to study medicine, pursuing a specialty in pediatrics.

At NYU’s Langone Health in New York, a medical establishment known for excellence in pediatric infectious disease, Dr. Rigaud has made her career in clinical research with a focus on pediatric HIV. As a highly respected academic and researcher, she traveled extensively to Western and Central Africa working with local and state institutions to deliver optimal care to children while contributing to pediatric HIV research.

Mona Rigaud is proud to say that her love for Haiti continues to define who she is. Today, she actively supports Centre Educative Reve et Action (CERA), a neighborhood school built by her sister. She is convinced that quality education is a fundamental instrument of change for Haiti. She has also become civically engaged in community building efforts through her involvement with Fondation Aquin Solidarite, (FAS). A hometown association founded on the principles of solidarity and mutual support, FAS promotes environmental, educational, and cultural initiatives that benefit the town of Aquin. While FAS founding members no longer live in Aquin, they have integrated current residents in all aspects of the successful projects they have implemented. Mona Rigaud points to that experience as proof that rebuilding Haiti is possible when all its children are treated with respect, inclusion, and dignity.

Although rarely involved with any Haitian led Diaspora organization, Mona Rigaud knew that Dr. J.P Austin’s invitation to join HAFFD’s board of directors was not a coincidence. In the face of Haiti’s catastrophic implosion, HAFFD, offered her the opportunity to serve as a trusted steward of an organization with the capacity and competence to support, lasting and sustainable change in Haiti.