Students

I am a social and behavioral researcher focusing on evaluating and improving sexual violence (SV) prevention programs domestically and globally. Much of my experience involves working with adolescent males in Sub-Saharan Africa and adult transgender women in the U.S. I chose the PFRH Department at Hopkins because of the robust curriculum, the numerous faculty that work in the violence field, and the collaboration across departments and schools. I work with amazing and supportive faculty across BSPH, SON, and SOM on various SV projects ranging from individual- to institutional- to policy-level interventions and evaluation.

My research interests focus primarily around access to abortion and how policy impacts people’s access to abortion care. I chose PFRH because the Department’s mission aligns with my philosophy, and being able to learn and practice public health in a space that actively works to uphold this mission is an absolute dream. I chose BSPH because this institution is home to some of the greatest minds within the field of public health, and to be able to interact with these people every day is a luxury I wouldn’t be afforded elsewhere. I was lucky enough to do two field placements during my time at BHSPH. One was with the School of Medicine, understanding how chemotherapy affects fertility. My other placement was with the School of Nursing, assessing how place-based risk affected HIV rates in young Black women living in the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area. Both provided me with critical skills that I will use in my future career. What I love most about PFRH is the sense of community that I feel within our department. Everyone is extremely welcoming, which has allowed me to feel comfortable asking questions and getting to know faculty and our student body. After graduation, I hope to find a full-time research position that allows me to follow my passion of advancing reproductive justice for all.

My current research explores pathways to severe maternal morbidity in the U.S. My broader research interests are in maternal health system and midwifery workforce development, the political economy of maternal health, global trends in cesarean birth, and placenta accreta spectrum disorder at the population level. A midwife by training, after a decade in clinical work I was drawn to PFRH for its excellent faculty, its many opportunities to be involved in rigorous research spanning both the life course and the globe, and its support for clinician-researchers. Addressing complex public health problems requires expertise from many specialties and the possibilities for collaboration at BSPH are truly endless. Whatever aspect of my work I want to explore, there will almost certainly be someone at BSPH who has been thinking about it for years! My future goal is a multi-pronged career involving scholarly research, government consultation and advocacy for the development of salutogenic and sustainable maternal health policy and systems, and the education of the next generation of midwives and public health professionals. There is so much work to be done for women and birthing people, both in the U.S. and across the globe.

Starting as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I have always had an interest in bridging gaps in care. My desire to learn more about public health practice brought me to the MSPH program specializing in Population, Family and Reproductive Health. I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA)-Ethiopia as well as the Disability Health Research Center. I aim to pursue a career in disability health research and advocacy. I am deeply grateful for the wonderful network of inspiring professors and colleagues who have made my time at Johns Hopkins incredibly special.

My research interests lie in applying a life-course perspective to issues of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and women’s empowerment. Specifically, I am interested in assessing quantitative measures of adolescent girls and young women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy in low- and middle-income countries, with a particular interest in humanitarian settings. I am currently working on research with the Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) project, the Global Early Adolescent Study, and other projects in PFRH. Prior to starting the PhD program at Johns Hopkins, I obtained my SM from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and worked as a policy advisor for Population Reference Bureau (PRB). 

I chose PFRH for my PhD because of the Department’s life-course approach to addressing public health issues and strong training in both quantitative and qualitative analysis regarding women’s sexual and reproductive health. The Bloomberg School also offered numerous opportunities to collaborate with professors and projects across different departments and schools, as well as a certificate program in health in humanitarian settings. Now in the program, more than anything else, I appreciate the supportive environment created by the students, faculty, and staff in the PFRH department. After graduation, I plan to continue research applying a life-course perspective to issues of sexual and reproductive health and building knowledge to improve the health and well-being of women and girls.

My research interests focus on policy, childhood development, environmental health, and the impact of nutrition and environmental contamination on child development. I chose PFRH and the Bloomberg School because of the wide breadth of experience represented by the faculty and the endless opportunities that students have to grow within their interests. My field placement was with CAF (the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean) in the Department of Social and Human Development in Quito, Ecuador. My project work touched on many topics, including telehealth, mental health, water and sanitation systems, and early childhood nutrition. It was a fascinating mix of public health program design and evaluation, strategic communication, and considerations of the political environment. My favorite thing about our department is the collaborative atmosphere. Everyone—from the students to the faculty—are there to support one another. My future goal is to work in policy development and advocacy on themes of population health in the Americas.

My research interests lie primarily in child health, specifically, in understanding the role of pediatric primary care and community-based health interventions for children with prolonged hospitalizations and Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN). I chose PFRH because of the interdisciplinarity, focusing on research and practice with a multilevel life course perspective. Being in a department among faculty with diverse interests and expertise creates an encouraging environment for me to explore new research interests and disciplines. I chose BSPH because of the opportunity to choose an MSPH degree program that would focus on a more specific field within public health and gain experience from the field placement. My field placement took place through the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, working on a qualitative research project aiming to understand decision making among parents with children who need a tracheostomy and home ventilation. After graduation, I hope to continue my work within the Department of Pediatrics with Renee Denise Boss, MD, MHS, as I progress through the medical school application.  

My primary research interests are at the intersection of environmental and maternal and child health. I am interested in how chemical and non-chemical stressors impact children and people during pregnancy and am passionate about doing work that promotes environmental justice and health equity. For my field placement, I worked at the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at University of California, San Francisco, on the Science and Policy team. I helped lead an umbrella review on the health effects of near roadway air pollution and an analysis of populations disproportionately exposed to traffic pollution in California. I also participated in the Title V Internship Program through the National MCH Workforce Development Center. I was placed at the Virginia Department of Health where she designed and implemented a data collection system for a home visiting program in the state.

I appreciate how the faculty and staff in PFRH are enthusiastic about creating a better world for women and children and are engaged in research, advocacy, and policy work. Everyone I have interacted with in PFRH—from the faculty and staff to peers—have been extremely supportive. I am continuously blown away by the expertise and experience that my peers bring to classes and enjoy learning from their thoughtful questions and unique perspectives. After graduation, I hope to contribute to research and policy that ultimately limits exposure to harmful chemicals among pregnant people and children.

I am interested in exploring the intersection of nutrition and disability health across the life course using qualitative and mixed methods. Specifically, I am interested in understanding the parenting and infant feeding experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My experiences working with disabled persons and having ADHD myself are deeply connected to my commitment to disability justice and advocacy. I received my MSPH in the Department of PFRH and chose to continue my PhD in the Department because of the research opportunities aligned with my interests and supportive network of faculty and mentors.

My primary interest is applying a gender analysis lens to health disparities and health service research in women’s health, and reproductive and sexual health. I chose the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at BSPH for its strong training on both my topics of interest and quantitative methodologies, including in observational causal inference designs in social sciences. Currently, I work in collaboration with faculty across departments at the Bloomberg School and the School of Medicine on research examining intimate partner violence, integrating gender analyses within international monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and reproductive and maternal health. 

I am a clinical and translational researcher working at the Borahay lab in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at JHU. My focus is on uterine fibroids and other benign gynecological conditions, and their interplay with cardiometabolic conditions and sickle-cell disease. I chose PFRH because it offered a strong focus on reproductive health and is second to none in its rigorous training in mixed-method research. The supportive faculty and staff in the department empowered me to pursue my goals of applying to medical school upon graduation, and completing a residency in OBGYN. I aspire to enhance healthcare access for vulnerable populations by engaging in comprehensive research, complementing my commitment to clinical treatment in my progress toward a medical career.

My research focuses on understanding how the availability and quality of family planning services can influence contraceptive uptake, method choice, and continuation among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to coming to Hopkins, I worked as a researcher in Tanzania, which enabled me to engage in projects that allowed me to see firsthand the scarcity of health services, particularly in hard-to-reach settings. Currently, I’m working on a Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) research project aimed to understand how empowerment trajectories shape sexual and reproductive health outcomes among very young adolescents in Ethiopia. I also recently began work focused on adapting the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) scale to improve the measurement of women’s and men’s prospective pregnancy preferences in low-resource, high-fertility settings in sub-Saharan Africa. I was drawn to the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health (PFRH) because it has a long history of advancing cutting-edge research and has pioneered frameworks, methods, and approaches to better contextualize the lived experiences of the most vulnerable populations. Over the last year, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a Department Student Association (DSA) representative for PFRH, liaising between the study body, and the department’s faculty and staff on aspects related to student life, academics and wellbeing. In this role I have learned that the PFRH community is one where students are seen and valued. The faculty, administrators and staff genuinely care about student wellbeing, and are receptive to both feedback and criticism that enable them to build a better departmental community where students can thrive. It’s how PFRH centers students—their voices, ideas, and wellbeing—that makes this community like none other. This is what makes the PFRH community special, and what I like most about being part of it! 

I'm interested in maternal and child health, specifically the interplay of physical and mental health in these populations. I chose BSPH and PFRH because of their particular curriculum and faculty. I knew this was the right place to grow my public health knowledge and gain useful skills that will carry me throughout my career.  My field placement was with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), where I interned in the Center for Mental Health Services. My project work included an overview on federal programs aimed at improving maternal behavioral health, literature reviews on school-based and early child mental health interventions, and a presentation of a recent white paper for Project AWARE. This field placement really inspired me to focus my professional efforts on mental health and well-being in addition to physical health. I like that PFRH is filled with people of various backgrounds with different career goals—it has been a privilege hearing and learning from all of them. After graduation, I hope to work in a position that will create meaningful and positive change in the lives of others

I’m passionate about population health issues, particularly as they relate to social determinants of health and healthcare reform. My master’s essay covers the gaps of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and suggests an alternative policy that aims to address FMLA’s shortcomings, such as disproportionate coverage and lack of financial support. I chose PFRH because I was impressed with the wide diversity of research foci within the Department. I knew I would be exposed to various topics and research methods, becoming a more well-rounded public health professional. Like many, I applied to BSPH because of its reputation. But what pushed me to choose BSPH was the variety of coursework and resources the school offers to foster students’ education. With the quarter term system, I knew I would have the opportunity to take many elective classes and get to learn about more topics and methods than I would at other institutions. 

I completed two field placements. One was with the Democratic Capitalism Initiative, a political start-up based in DC that aims to support congressional leaders in historically “purple” districts, where I conducted population-based research for various congressional teams to better inform them about demographic and healthcare challenges that their constituents face.  My second field placement was with the BEAD Core team here at Johns Hopkins, where we act as internal biostatistical consultants for clinicians in the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute network. I’ve worked as a research assistant on various projects—from creating geographical visualizations for the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition team to use for policy reform, to writing up monthly reports for Baltimore’s STI clinics on their patient population. 

I love that PFRH binds together a community of students and faculty, eager to address some of public health’s most complex challenges. Our department is small, which provides plenty of opportunities to connect and collaborate with more people. After graduation, I hope to continue working on population health projects, particularly in the policy reform space and make a difference on a larger scale. Most importantly, I know that the connections I have forged during my time at PFRH will last throughout the rest of my career. 

I am a physician and earned my MPH and certificate in health economics from the Bloomberg School. My current research focuses on the role of men’s egalitarian gender ideologies in their fertility preferences and contraception decision-making behaviors. Over the last nine years, I have worked as a clinical practitioner, public health advocate, and researcher. I worked as a technical advisor and program officer at the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, where I led the team who developed the Demographic Dividend Effort Index, and co-chaired the Scientific and Demographic Dividend Subcommittees of the International Conference on Family Planning. I was one of the first 40 awardees of the "120 Under 40: The New Generation of Family Planning Leaders," recognizing my public health practice work through the Healthy People Rwanda and the International Youth Alliance for Family Planning. I decided to pursue my PhD in PFRH due to the global nature of the work done by the faculty in the department, and the dedication of the faculty to generate new knowledge that informs policy to improve population health across the life course.

With a background primarily in serving communities with limited resources, my passion lies in the realm of Maternal, Fetal, and Perinatal Health (MFPH). Specifically, I am deeply interested in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) programs. My experiences as a physician in resource-constrained settings ignited a profound commitment to improving outcomes in this critical area, driving my focus towards developing and assessing initiatives that directly impact the well-being of mothers and their infants.

I chose PFRH because of its robust research initiatives and comprehensive curriculum. I believe that immersing myself in this program will equip me with the essential skills and knowledge relevant to my area of interest. The depth and breadth of resources available will undoubtedly aid in my academic and professional development. The department's emphasis on fostering critical thinking and practical application of concepts resonates deeply with me, making it an environment where I feel challenged in my learning journey.

I chose the BSPH because it stands as the prominent institution for public health education worldwide. Its research initiatives span the globe, particularly focusing on low- and middle-income countries, including Sub-Saharan Africa. 

My field placement was with the Africa region of the International Center for Research on Women. This experience provided me with hands-on practical knowledge in conducting research on various critical issues including child marriage, gender-based violence, childcare services, and women's social protection across Africa, which deepened my understanding of the complexities within these domains and strengthened my research skills. After graduation, I aim to engage in research endeavors focused on designing and implementing programs that bolster MCH in resource-constrained settings. My goal is to contribute meaningfully to the improvement of health outcomes for mothers and infants in these communities, leveraging evidence-based interventions to make a tangible difference.

My research interest focuses on child and maternal health at an international level, and on humanitarian relief work. My field placement experiences were definitely the highlights of my time in the MSPH program. I did two field placements—a remote internship with the Ephraim Foundation International, where I completed research for new developments in the organization, produce new surveys, and conduct survey analysis. My in-person internship was with Samaritan’s Purse, where I had opportunity to live and work in the Kurdistan region of Iraq for two months, working at a long-term refugee settlement. I created and taught a highly requested art workshop for teens and young adults, assisted with children’s classes, contributed to English and business training materials, and wrote impact stories about the camp’s families. I can confidently say that my time in Iraq has completely transformed me as a person and as a public health professional. My greatest hope is to continue to work internationally with children and families in areas of crisis or suffering through sustainable, participatory, and community-tailored humanitarian aid interventions.

I earned my MSPH from PFRH with a Women’s, Sexual, and Reproductive Health concentration. I have been a research assistant on various projects with the Early Childhood Services Research Program, the Maryland Department of Health, and Performance Monitoring for Action, and also served as SOURCE Service Scholar. I am a TA in many classes, including introductory public health courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. My research interests involve investigating the impact of community-level social, structural, and environmental determinants of health on children’s life course outcomes.

My research interests lie at the intersection of adverse childhood experiences and grief focusing on systems-level solutions to mitigate poor health outcomes across the life course. I currently work at the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) supporting early childhood practice and policy transformation to improve child and family flourishing and resilience across the nation. Prior to coming to Hopkins, I worked at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) as a Program Officer in the Public and Patient Engagement Department studying the science of engagement in research and developing tools to support PCOR workforce. I completed my dual MPH and MSW degrees at Washington University in St. Louis School of Social Work and BS in Psychology at Lafayette college.

My research lies at the intersection of adolescent and school health. Specifically, I am interested in the implementation science of school health frameworks and how school environments influence adolescent health behaviors and outcomes. These interests stem from my years as a high school English teacher in Baltimore, and from my ongoing work with the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. I chose to pursue doctoral studies with PFRH to further develop skills and expertise in school-based program design, implementation, and evaluation alongside faculty who work closely with Baltimore City Public Schools—the place where it all started for me! I currently work as a research assistant for ‘Nobody Asked Me’, a collaborative research project between JHSOE and JHSPH that explores young Baltimoreans’ experiences living and attending school in the city.