Who Am I?

I am a doctoral candidate in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program at the University of Kansas specializing in transnational Reproductive Policy and Administration in North America and the English-speaking Caribbean, and the dynamic interplay between the two regions.​ I am a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, lactation, sexual and reproductive health, and contraceptive counselor. My approach to birth work and health disparity and equity research is that of a scholar advancing knowledge production for better practice.

​

My current dissertation research explores the impact formal state-sanctioned biomedicine and traditional healthcare systems have on pregnancy-related healthcare and birth outcomes in terms of maternal mortality and morbidity.  I aim to explore and examine stories of causation that shape healthcare policies and practices in ways that expand our understanding of what accounts for health disparities in n effort to advance health perspectives and behaviors.

​

With over 10 years of experience collaborating with development-oriented organizations, including community-based groups, state agencies, and international organizations, my expertise encompasses program management, community consultation, and resource mobilization in the realms of education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women's and youth advocacy, sexual orientation and the law, and critical analysis of prevailing discourses on human trafficking. Research is the realm where I discover profound purpose.

​​​

I hope through this research, I will be better equipped to one day work in the academy and/or in public service as a sexual and reproductive policy analyst at national, local and/or international level.

​

Thank you for visiting.