Community-Engaged, Reproductive Health Research Within the Carceral System: Reflections & Lessons Learned

Posted on by Sara Benning

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 11:00am-12:30pm CT | Via Zoom

Individuals with criminal legal system involvement have often been systematically excluded from the process of conducting research. Panelists will discuss their involvement in community-engaged research projects at the intersection of the criminal legal system and reproductive health, as researchers, participants and university instructors.

Participants will learn about:

  • Different community-engaged research projects at the intersection of the criminal legal system and reproductive and maternal health
  • Barriers and facilitators to community-engaged research within the criminal legal system
  • Opportunities for change within research involving individuals impacted by the criminal legal system
  • Key concepts of community-engaged research to apply to their own work

Free and open to all!

Invited panelists include:

Abaki Beck, MPH (Moderator), is a third year PhD student in Health Services Research, Policy and Administration in the University of Minnesota (UMN) Department of Pediatrics, serving as a Research Assistant for the department and for the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.

Alicia Roach is a Doula with over 20 years of experience. Her lived experiences set her on the path to become a Doula and she believes that every voice deserves to be heard, regardless of their situation, with advocacy being one of her biggest passions aside from being a Doula.

Alissa Leavitt, MPH, MCHES, is a public health educator with over 15 years of teaching experience at Portland State University and Portland Community College.

Carrie Cohen, MA, MS, IBCLC, is an instructor with the University Studies Department of Portland State University. She also works as a lactation consultant serving families in Oregon and SW Washington.

Ingie Osman, MPH, is a Project Director at the UMN, where she leads a variety of research and evaluation projects to support the health and wellbeing of children, families, and parents impacted by incarceration.

Noël Marsh, MPH, is a sociocultural anthropologist pursuing a PhD in medical/cultural anthropology and an MPH in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.