Relicious has spent the past few years focused on addressing different neighborhood and stress factors in African American pregnant women in Detroit through varied mixed method studies. Relicious has a vested research interest in Black maternal mortality, mental health, pre-term birth and reproductive justice. In the future, Relicious' professional goals include consulting with private sectors and NGOs to inform maternal health initiatives within underrepresented communities. She hopes to give back to communities through teaching and alternative programs, globally.

MPH Health Law and Policy, Maternal and Child Health,   Boston University

Dejah is a second-year MPH student (Health Policy and Law, Maternal and Child Health) at Boston University from Fitchburg, MA. For her undergraduate studies, she attended Howard University, where she received a B.S. in nutritional science in May 2024. She is a current maternal health fellow at the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, where she contributes to projects that focus on expanding maternal health services (ie, Doulas, Midwives, etc.) under Medicaid. She is passionate about addressing the black maternal health crisis and advancing policies that expand access to essential services to help ensure equitable and positive birth outcomes for all birthing people.

Dae-zhané is a PhD candidate and MCH Epidemiology Fellow in UCLA’s Department of Community Health Sciences. She received her MPH in Applied Public Health Sciences from the University of Connecticut and is a trained full spectrum doula. 

She is also a Research Associate at Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, CT, working to evaluate a grant-funded patient navigator program. Dae-zhané’s program of research uses Black feminist and life course theories to examine the intergenerational and long-term impacts of violence and stress on Black women’s sexual decision making, reproductive capacities, and birth disparities.

Amiyah is a second-year MPH candidate at Drexel University, specializing in Global Health with a minor in Maternal and Child Health. As the Research and Practice Chair, Amiyah brings a unique dual perspective to the committee, blending high-level policy work with direct clinical experience.

She currently serves as a Program Assistant Fellow at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, where she supports the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) in translating data into actionable recommendations to eliminate preventable maternal deaths and sharing information with different sectors, such as legislation, healthcare, policy, etc. Complementing her policy work, Amiyah serves as a Medical Assistant with experience in women's health and obstetrics.

Her particular interest in uncovering disparities within maternal and child health is propelled by her end goal of becoming a board-certified OBGYN. Her key demographic to aid is Black women, who are at increased risk for high-risk pregnancies and maternal mortality.

Nya Parker is a community organizer and reproductive justice advocate based in Middle Tennessee, with a focus on maternal health, civic engagement, and power building. She holds a Master of Science in Health Sciences from Meharry Medical College (2024) and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Howard University (2022), with minors in Chemistry and Political Science.

Nya’s passion for maternal health is deeply informed by her lived experience as a Black woman navigating gaps in care, as well as her professional work advancing Black doula programming, maternal health education, and state-level advocacy.

Through her organizing work, Nya bridges community engagement and systems-level advocacy—bringing together healthcare professionals, volunteers, and partners to advance reproductive and maternal health equity across Tennessee.

Simone Nixon is a recent graduate of George Washington University where she received her MPH in Maternal and Child Health (MCH). Prior to this, she received her BS in Biology from Howard University. 

Her interests within MCH include, women's health research and funding, the US maternal mortality crisis, and human trafficking. Currently, she works as a Research Assistant for the peer-reviewed journal Women's Health Issues. Simone is excited to support MCH-NN as an Alumni Outreach Coordinator and hopes to help foster the growing community of MCH young professionals. 

Hailey Johnson is a 2nd year Graduate Student at the University of California Los Angeles, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. 

While pursuing her MSW, she has found passion in the world of Maternal and Child Health, recently starting an internship in the MCH Department of a hospital and completing meaningful research on the Black Infant Mortality Crisis. 

Hailey also has experience in psychological marketing and a passion for social media management. She is excited to combine her passions of Maternal and Child Health and media to better the community that the MCH-NN serves. 

Sarah S. Palmer is the Development Associate at Justice Health Initiative, a Boston based non-profit that focuses on ensuring children with rare diseases or conditions receive the treatment and holistic care they need. She graduated from Boston University’s School of Public Health, where she studied Global Health with a Maternal and Child Health lens. Sarah also worked with Malawi based non-profit FORUD to launch their program to pilot an injectable contraceptive and disseminate more reproductive health information. Previously, she worked in communications and program management working to grow programs both regionally and internationally. 

Indira is a second-year MPH student in Maternal Child and Adolescent Health at UC Berkeley. She did her undergrad at UC Davis in Global Disease Biology. Her research interests include structural determinants of health as they apply to maternal and infant health and racial inequities. She is a current intern in nutrition equity at San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Co-Director of the MCAH Student Interest Group at UCB. She is working on her capstone thesis on the association of pregnancy complications and SIDS -- and graduates in May 2025!