Courtney Alyssa Sarkin, MBE 

Emphasis: Sociology of Health and Illness

Advisor: Rachel Hardeman, MPH, PhD

Interests: LGBTQ+ health; health equity; breast cancer care and cancer inequities; cultural and structural humility; community-based participatory research; structural oppression; feminist, queer, disability and critical race bioethics; rural health

About me: Courtney attended University of California, Berkeley and received B.A.s in Molecular and Cell Biology, Legal Studies, and Gender Studies. While at UC Berkeley as a Rose Hills Fellow, she conducted independent research on the healthcare experiences of lesbian and transgender breast cancer patients and survivors. She was motivated to pursue this research to explore how her mom, a lesbian breast cancer patient, was experiencing her journey through diagnosis and treatment in their rural and medically underserved community. Having solidified her interest in health equity, she attended Harvard Medical School for a Masters in Bioethics.  She was a predoctoral fellow for the NCI T32 Cancer Disparities Training Program jointly administered by the University of Minnesota Medical School Program in Health Disparities and School of Public Health. Her dissertation examines how lesbian, bisexual and queer women's breast cancer screening usage is influenced by manifestations of structural oppression within the healthcare system. She uses community-based participatory research and critical social theories to improve health services across the breast cancer care continuum for minoritized sexual and gender populations.  

Contact: sarki052@umn.edu