Center Student Spotlights

Posted on by BrianaWells

Spring 2023

Our graduating Center students–Jenna, Rosie, Lauren, and Briana–were asked a few questions about their backgrounds, work, advice, and other fun facts.

Jenna Kacheroski

Tell Us About Yourself!

I am from Burnsville, MN. I grew up reading a ton of books and playing lots of soccer. I always loved clubs in school and participated in several that provided me with early leadership opportunities in middle and high school. I love being outdoors, traveling, and appreciating various forms of art. Crossword puzzles, live music, and taking photos of my cat are some of my favorite things to do when I have free time. 

Center Position

What’s your role at the Center? 

I am the person who is putting together the 3rd publication of the Center’s MN Women’s Health Report Card. The most fulfilling part is knowing that this work is novel, in that no other entity in the state makes a comprehensive report on the state of women’s health for our residents. 

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I think MCH is awesome and important because everyone comes from a mother, or someone else that brought them into the world. Women are the backbone of society, and we must treat them so. I enjoy working with MCH populations, maybe in part, because I am a woman. I find that I feel more connected to this work, it feels personal. I want to be an advocate for women, girls, and people who have not been given the same privileges and opportunities I was born or given.

What are you working on these days?

I am working on the final edits for the new 2022 MN Women’s Health Report Card, thinking about my ILE topic, and developing a proposal for the upcoming Women’s Health Research Conference.

Jenna’s Products and Contributions:

Academic & Professional Career

What inspired you to study public health?

Reading Half the Sky, traveling to Peru, volunteering at a free clinic in Lincoln, NE, living and working in a rural area with apparent health access and care needs, and personal values of justice and equity. Half the Sky was really the gateway– I learned about the importance of education for girls, and how that can change a whole community, let alone an individual or family. I realized that healthcare access and care are on a spectrum depending on your location, wealth, and how you show up in the world. 

Are you pursuing a minor?

I am getting minors in sexual health and health equity. These are interests that I developed before coming to SPH, but here I was able to strengthen my understanding of these topics to more confidently incorporate them into my career in the future.

What are you most proud of during your career?

I am most proud of writing a grant all by myself when I was working as an AmeriCorps VISTA after I graduated college. I was working in a rural county health department in Oregon. My role was focused on breastfeeding promotion in county workplaces and internal health equity efforts. Due to the lack of personnel, I was also called into helping with the COVID-19 response and served on the Incident Management Team for the county in the Planning section. I took writing this grant on because the thought of getting this money for this community that needed it so badly was driving me. The county was a reproductive care desert, a health care desert, and a dental desert. I ended up getting full funding for the grant to become a Sexual and Reproductive Health Educator for the county health department. I was able to work with a lot of different age groups, agencies, and community patterns throughout my year in that role.

In my position, I was able to provide the local women’s shelter and homeless shelter with emergency contraception, period products, and underwear. I made safer sex kits for the community college, held a virtual healthy relationships group for young adults, and co-taught a Health class for middle school boys with behavior challenges. But, one of the most fun projects to work on was a mobile Lactation Station (pictured below) that could be used at the farmer’s market, County Fair, or the many festivals held throughout the county. The station was a pink tent that had a changing area, a handwashing station, toys and play area for young children, a nursing area with nursing pillows, and printed resources. The response from the community was positive, and many were thankful for the dedicated space! It was a great experience.

Fun Facts & Advice

What is something someone might not guess about you?

I LOVE reality TV (Real Housewives- all of them, Drag Race-all of them, Project Runway, British Bake Off, Survivor, Love Island, etc).

If you weren’t working in public health and academia, what would you be doing?

I think my “dream” alternative career would be an ornithologist or some sort of photographer/travel blogger.

Can you offer a piece of advice to MCH students?

Make a friend in class to go over homework with! Also, be sure to ask those around you what classes they are taking. You could find your new favorite class or discover a new field of interest. 

Rosie Laine

Tell Us About Yourself!

I’m from Saint Paul, Minnesota. I’m in my second year of my MPH program in the Maternal & Child Health track. Alongside my degree program, I work as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Center, and for an organization called Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health. I’m interested in sexual and reproductive health and justice, harm reduction, and health equity. I have experience in public health research, nonprofit work, patient advocacy, and community organizing.

Center Position

What’s your role at the Center?  

I work as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Center. Each month I author and distribute a newsletter called “Reproductive (In)Justice” for the National Collaborative for Justice-Involved Women & Children (JIWC). The newsletter details relevant research, events, and news on pregnancy-related outcomes for incarcerated populations. This year I’ve also assisted with a qualitative research project on state and federal statutes on pregnancy outcomes in carceral systems with Dr. Rebecca Shlafer. This role is fulfilling because I get to uplift relevant policies, programs, and public health research on pregnancy in prisons—a topic that historically has been very under-researched, leaving these populations especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect.  This research feels all the more critical after Roe was overturned and the landscape for sexual and reproductive health has grown increasingly hostile and unsafe. 

Rosie’s Products and Contributions:

Academic & Professional Career

 What brought you to the MCH Program?

I went to Macalester College for my undergrad. I was introduced to public health through a course in Bioethics during my first semester. Later that year I took a course through the History department on Race, Gender, and Medicine. I went on to major in History, minor in Philosophy, and concentrate in Community & Global Health. During my senior year, I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Amy Sullivan on her book Opioid Reckoning: Love, Loss, and Redemption in the Rehab State, which details the history of the opioid epidemic in Minnesota through oral history and qualitative interviews. After graduating, I worked as a patient advocate for Whole Woman’s Health—an independent abortion provider in Minnesota. This experience affirmed my dedication towards advancing reproductive justice. Around that time, I applied to the Maternal & Child Health program in public health, and since then have enjoyed researching and working on lots of different topics within sexual and reproductive health. 

Are you pursuing a minor/track and, if so, which one and why?

I am pursuing a minor in sexual health because of my interest in all things sexual health and reproductive justice! I’ve really enjoyed these elective courses. I even got to take a class through the law school on reproductive rights as part of the minor’s requirements.

What are you working on these days?

I’m working on my applied practice project for my degree program in partnership with my current employer —Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health. In collaboration with the organization’s Education Director Anna Brown, I’ve been co-leading a webinar series entitled “Transformative Nursing: Deconstruction Punitive Healthcare” for our national membership network of nursing students and professionals. Session topics have included a discussion with Pregnancy Justice (formerly the National Advocates for Pregnant Women) on the impact of the Dobbs decision on a variety of pregnancy outcomes, and a discussion with the National Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction on perinatal substance use and frameworks for harm reduction that nursing professionals can utilize. Later this spring we’re hosting a panel for nurse researchers on feminist abolitionist nursing practice. This applied project has been exciting for me because it combines so many of my research interests including reproductive justice, harm reduction, pregnancy criminalization, and abolition. I also really enjoyed curating tangible education for health professionals to implement into their practice. 

What type of research/work are you interested in?

I’m interested in several research areas including the intersection of pregnancy with systems of surveillance and criminalization, abortion access, and reproductive justice. I’m inspired by frameworks of harm reduction, feminism, abolition, and health equity. As I mentioned, it took me some time to find my way in public health because I wasn’t sure I “fit” in this discipline because of my interests in topics like history, philosophy, and writing. I’ve since realized that my training in the humanities and social sciences has provided me with a great grounding for research in public health. I’m hopeful that in the future my research can be used to fill existing gaps and inform better policies and programs for pregnant people and families impacted by systems of criminalization and policing. I also hope to continue to advocate for compassionate and dignified abortion care Post-Dobbs.

What are you most proud of during your career? 

I am most proud of finding ways to work across my interests and with people from across my network. Through my applied practice project, I got to work in collaboration with my current employer, Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health, on building education on the intersections of healthcare and criminalization (topics I was learning about through my RAship with the Center and through coursework in my degree program). My master’s degree has forged so many new connections for me, both across disciplines and across interprofessional networks. I hope to continue to build and expand upon these connections as I move through my postgraduate career. 

Fun Facts & Advice

What is a fun fact about yourself?

Last summer I participated in the YWCA Women’s Triathlon- it was my first (but hopefully not last) triathlon. 🙂

Do you have any hobbies?

I love to try new restaurants and cook new recipes with friends and family. I also love spending time outside on runs, long walks with my family dogs, and recently by cross country skiing!

If you weren’t working in public health and academia, what would you be doing?

I like to think I would buy a small alpaca farm near the ocean!

Can you offer a piece of advice to MCH students?

Try not to get too caught up in planning every step of your career trajectory. Instead, follow your interests and be open to exploring opportunities as they arise. This will allow you to enjoy the process, stay flexible and open to new pathways, and ultimately to find fulfillment in your career. 

What is the most valuable skill a student can have to succeed in this field?

Curiosity paired with humility. Curiosity allows you to ask lots of questions and enjoy learning, humility allows you to admit what you don’t know and work effectively with others.

Lauren Roach

Tell Us About Yourself!

Before coming to Minneapolis, I lived in Milwaukee, WI where I worked for a drug treatment court and completed my Master’s in Criminal Justice. I am a Badger through and through, having graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a dual degree in History and Religious Studies. I am also a fertility awareness instructor, certified through FEMM, and love promoting women’s holistic health and health education. Making maps and telling stories are also professional passions of mine. 

Center Position

What’s your role at the Center?

I am the Bright Spots Mini-Lab Research Assistant. 

What’s the most fulfilling part of this work?

I love hearing how our qualitative research trainings are helping students and community members elevate stories in the community! 

What type of research/work are you interested in? How did you get interested in this topic?

Qualitative research is such a vital part of public health, and I knew research at the Mini-Lab would be an opportunity to dive into it. I am primarily drawn to qualitative research because of the power of stories. 

How do you hope your research and its findings will be used in the future?

I hope our research at the Mini-Lab both equips and inspires other researchers to continue cultivating qualitative research skills. I also hope we see more studies using methods like photo-voice, citizen science, and ripple effects mapping to name a few. 

What are you working on these days?

I am working on synthesizing our findings at the Mini-Lab and planning the logistics for our upcoming Mini-Labs in Spring 2023.  

Lauren’s Products and Contributions:

Academic & Professional Career

What brought you to the MCH Program?

My work with the drug treatment court showed me the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations, among so many other things, leading me to seek out further study in public health. My work teaching women to understand their hormonal health and chart their ovulatory cycle inspired me to go deeper specifically into women’s health. Since I knew I wanted to jump in and be actively involved with research, I chose UMN because of the opportunities in this program. 

Are you pursuing a minor/track and, if so, which one and why?

I am pursuing two minors: epidemiology and geographic information science (GIS).

Fun Facts & Advice

What is a fun fact about yourself?

Theodore Wirth is my favorite place to cross-country ski during the wonderful winter months. Worth checking out in any season!

What was the last book you read?

The Genesis of Gender

What is your favorite book?

There are too many books to choose a favorite, but one of mine is The Book Thief and I would be remiss if I did not mention my fervent love for the Harry Potter series. 

Do you have any hobbies?

I love playing and watching sports, especially college basketball. Also, Bucks in 6.

Can you offer a piece of advice to MCH students?

Always ask! Ask for research opportunities, ask for help when needed, ask for advice- you never know what opportunities and resources are available. 

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Faith and family come first. Life gets crazy but you need to have the most important things take precedence in daily life.

Briana Wells

Tell Us About Yourself!

I am from Kansas City, MO born and raised. I am the youngest of six and have a handful of nieces and nephews. My education journey has taken me to Alabama, Texas, and now Minnesota. In my free time, I like to go on walks, spend time with family, and catch up on shows that I am watching.

Center Position

What’s your role at the Center?

I am the RA Liaison Student. In this position, my tasks primarily include working on our student eNews, student spotlights, alumni spotlights, and coordinating the Skills Institute Workshops. The most rewarding part of my work is connecting with and getting to know other MCH students.

Briana’s Products and Contributions:

Academic & Professional Career

What brought you to the MCH Program?

I received my Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from Baylor University. My specific program was child and family studies with a concentration in child development. During my time there, I took an elective course called maternal and infant health. I have always been fascinated with pregnancy and child development and that course perfectly intertwined those two interests. It was in this class that I learned about maternal and child public health and the various disparities that exist in the United States when it comes to this field. This inspired me to pursue an MPH in MCH so that I could expand my knowledge and better work with at-risk MCH populations.

Fun Facts & Advice

What is something someone might not guess about you?

I love to dance. I was a competitive dancer for 12 years. Many people probably wouldn’t guess this about me because I’m pretty shy and would never be the first person on a dance floor!

What are some must-go-to places for eating?

I am such a foodie and love trying new places! Since moving to the Twin Cities, these are the places that I would recommend to anyone:

  • Tea house
  • Boludo’s Pizza
  • The Test Kitchen
  • Malcolm Yards 
  • Isle Buns & Coffee
  • Cafe Latte
  • Agra Culture
  • Keys Cafe
  • P.S. Steak
  • Taqueria El Primo

What is a fun fact about yourself?

I LOVE theater! I prefer musicals over plays but will still happily watch both. I go see traveling Broadway shows whenever I can, but it’s on my bucket list to watch a Broadway show in NYC.

What are some tips for surviving the MN cold?

If you are not from a state with cold winters like Minnesota these are my tip for making it through the winter!

  • Snow boots with good traction
  • Long coats in the winter make such a difference when the weather is below freezing
  • Quality gloves are a must

What drew you to Minnesota?

I have family here. I also had many conversations with people who worked for the U prior to making my decision, and I was so impressed with how attentive and willing everyone was to connect with me and answer my questions.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

The best piece of advice that I have received while being in this program is to “respect your time” meaning it’s okay to set boundaries, say no, and make time for yourself and the things you want to do. 

What are the characteristics of successful students in your classes?

Engage in class, ask questions, and be transparent with professors if you are struggling in class or need more time for an assignment.