HIV and Sexual Health
Aging, Chronicity, and HIV
Afterlives of AIDS: Oral Histories of Black Women living and aging with HIV
Washington DC-Maryland region
2014-present
An Smithsonian Institute archival collection encompassing interviews and portraits that documents how HIV has shaped Black women's lives and how it has impacted their historical and contemporary roles within Black familial systems and broader communities. Furthermore, the life histories provide a window into the childhood, family, friendship, school, and work experiences of an overlooked group from the local and national discourse on the impact of HIV in American society. The long-term aim of the project is to present holistic and complex stories of African American women who have long been ignored in the history of HIV and to elevate racial justice in HIV advocacy by educating the public on racial health disparities.
Social Determinants of Sexual Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA
2009-2012
This research involved the use of rapid ethnographic assessments (REA), a qualitative method of data collection best used to assess quickly a variety of complex public health issues with the purpose of informing intervention and prevention programmatic needs, to address the social determinants of sexual health and HIV/sexually transmitted infection related disparities.
Projects included: (1) the design of a toolkit for REA that addresses community and structural level factors potentially contributing to high rates of HIV/sexually transmitted infections, (2) the implementation of three REAs addressing policy, economic, and social- level factors contributing to high HIV/sexually transmitted infection rates in vulnerable Black and Latino populations in Arizona, North Carolina, and Louisiana, and (3) the training of public health professionals in conducting REAs.
Public Health Surveillance, HIV Prevention, and Haitians
Miami, Florida & Haiti
2004-2008
This ethnographic study explored the “success” of HIV prevention campaigns targeting racial and ethnic minorities in clinical and public health settings in South Florida and their effects on the Haitian community in particular. Through this work, I documented how medical, epidemiological, and social constructions of HIV/AIDS risk fuse notions of pathology with racial and cultural differences. I also highlighted the specific problems facing diverse immigrant and ethnic populations, and revealed that Haitians strategically identify with various institutions and diseases in order to access critical resources.
People Living with HIV in New York City
New York City
2000-2002
This project is an ongoing prospective study of persons living with HIV/AIDS in New York City and the Tri-County region of Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties. As a MPH student at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, I conducted an analysis of disclosure, stigma, and service needs among adults living with HIV/AIDS in the Tri-County region. Results indicated high reports of stigma among all participants and higher rates among women than men; they also indicated that stigma did not affect disclosure patterns or access to medical services, which were inconsistent with previous reports.