Category: Public Health is Personal
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What You Need to Know About Expanded ACEs: A Culturally Grounded View of Trauma
Expanded ACEs: A Culturally Grounded View of Trauma Inspired by the work of Dr. Mariel Buqué Black and Brown communities are not “more traumatized” because of culture. They are more exposed to trauma because of systems. Traditional ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, focus primarily on household level adversity. They fail to fully capture the structural,… Read more
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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): How Childhood Trauma Becomes Embedded in the Body
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events impacting children from birth to 18, affecting their psychological and physical well-being. ACEs lead to heightened risks for numerous health issues later in life. Current research is expanding the understanding of adversity to include systemic factors that affect marginalized communities, promoting a more inclusive approach to healing. Read more
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Why Survival Is Not Enough: Black Maternal Health and Dignified Care
Before the numbers, there are names. Before the reports, there are bodies. Before the statistics, there are stories that live in the nervous system long after the charts are closed. This is one of those stories. And it is not mine alone. The statistics on Black maternal health have been telling the same story for… Read more
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The Latest Attack on Public Health
Here’s my definition of equity and equality. Equality is giving everyone equal pieces of pie despite how hungry they are. Equity is giving everyone a piece of pie that reflects what they need to no longer be hungry. Equity for me is what we need to progress in public health. Those who are a part… Read more
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The Power of Pen to Paper: Why I Choose Handwritten Healing
There is a different kind of honesty that shows up when I put pen to paper. Typing feels quick, efficient, and productive, but handwriting feels like truth. When I write by hand, I say things I would not say out loud or even think to type. There is no backspace. There is no red underline.… Read more
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When Policy Meets Pain: A Personal Reflection on Birth, Bias, and the Systems That Shape Our Lives
Public health has never been something distant or theoretical to me. It has always been woven into the fabric of my life and the lives of people in the communities I come from. Before I studied public health or policy, I lived it. I saw how access, culture, and systems decided who received care and… Read more