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When I think about maternal health now, I find it difficult to separate outcomes from experience. In public health, we frequently measure a successful pregnancy and birth using clinical outcomes, but this does not fully capture what the mother had to carry emotionally, mentally, and physically to get there. A birth can look medically positive on paper and still leave a woman feeling unheard, rushed, confused and powerless.

This past March, I supported the first full-spectrum doula training for incarcerated community members at Santa Rita Jail through my work as a full-spectrum doula with Roots of Labor Birth Collective. Each morning, participants and facilitators gathered around an altar we built together to ground ourselves in gratitude, reflection, and intention before moving through the day’s training. What stayed with me most was how quickly the classroom transformed into a space of mutual care. Lessons often opened into conversations about family separation, loss, grief, survival, and hope.

This past April, I had the honor of being selected to present my research poster at the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Biennial Conference in Toronto, Canada. The SRA focuses on advancing understanding of the adolescent developmental period to which my work directly relates. My research poster used the CHAMACOS longitudinal cohort study to determine if early major life events (positive, negative, and neutral) were associated with adolescent mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and internalizing issues).

See Agere’s Poster Here!

I came to AMCHP with two things on my mind: wanting to share Beloved to the AMCHP community and to learn about the amazing work folks are doing across the country despite the political climate we are in. This experience has inspired me to continue to be innovative in the way I serve my community as well as the importance of political advocacy especially as it relates to funding and longevity.