Selected Publication
"The Problem with Implicit Bias Training” It’s well motivated, but there’s little evidence that it leads to meaningful changes in behavior (Opinion with Nao Hagiwara). Scientific American. While the nation roils with ongoing protests against police violence and persistent societal racism, many organizations have released statements promising to do better. These promises often include improvements to hiring practices; a priority on retaining and promoting people of color; and pledges to better serve those people as customers and clients. continue
"From the West Indies to Africa: A Universal Generational Decline in Health among Blacks in the United States" (with Tod G. Hamilton). Social Science Research 73 (2018): 163-174. Uses data from the 1996-2014 waves of the March Current Population Survey to investigate generational differences in self-rated health among blacks with West Indian, Haitian, Latin American, and African ancestry.
"Black and Immigrant: Exploring the Effects of Ethnicity and Foreign-Born Status on Infant Health" in Migration Policy Institute. Compares prenatal behaviors and birth outcomes of Black immigrant mothers to those of other immigrant and U.S.-born mothers, using federal vital statistics. Finds that Black immigrant mothers are less likely to give birth to preterm or low-birth-weight infants than U.S.-born Black women, yet are more likely to experience these adverse birth outcomes than other groups of immigrant and U.S.-born women.
"Disparities in Self-Reported Prenatal Counseling: Does Immigrant Status Matter?" (with Mandar V. Bodas, Heather A. Jones, Saba W. Masho, and Nao Hagiwara). Journal of Community Health 43, no. 5 (2018): 864-867. Investigates the roles of immigrant status, English proficiency, and race/ethnicity on the receipt of self-reported prenatal counseling using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort.
"Health Assimilation among Hispanic Immigrants in the United States: The Impact of Ignoring Arrival-Cohort Effects" (with Tod G. Hamilton and Tia Palermo). Journal of Health and Social Behavior 56, no. 4 (2015): 460-477. Uses data from the 1996-2014 waves of the March Current Population Survey. Shows that the health (i.e. self-rated health) of Hispanic immigrants varies by both arrival cohort and U.S. tenure for immigrants hailing from most of the primary sending countries/regions of Hispanic immigrants. Demonstrates that omitting arrival-cohort measures from health assimilation models may result in overestimates of the degree of downward health assimilation experienced by Hispanic immigrants.
"Unpacking Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Prenatal Care Use: The Role of Individual-, Household-, and Area-Level Characteristics" Journal of Women's Health 27, no. 9 (2018). Aims to quantify the contributions of individual-, household, and area-level factors to racial/ethnic disparities in prenatal care use among NH white, NH black, and Hispanic mothers. Provides helpful insights for clinicians and policymakers interested in addressing the mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic differences in access to care among pregnant women.
"Changes in Public Prenatal Care Coverage Options for Noncitizens since Welfare Reform: Wide State Variation Remains" (with Stephanie Hochhalter, Krystyna Dereszowska, and Lindsay Sabik). Medical Care Research and Review 73, no. 5 (2015): 624-639. Documents state-level trends in prenatal Medicaid and state-funded coverage options for low-income noncitizens just prior to and since welfare reform. Helps to understand the potential effects of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion on health care utilization and birth outcomes among pregnant noncitizens.
“What Drives Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Prenatal Care For Expectant Mothers?” Social Work Helper, February 2019. Prenatal care — health care for pregnant mothers — is one of the most commonly used forms of preventive health care among women of reproductive age. Prenatal care represents an important opportunity to detect, monitor, and address risky health conditions and behaviors among expectant mothers that can impact birth outcomes.
“Diabetes: The case for considering context” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Culture of Health Blog. Approximately 30 million U.S. adults currently have diabetes, and an additional 86 million have pre-diabetes. The incidence of diabetes has increased substantially over the past 30 years, including among children. Estimates place the direct and indirect costs of diabetes at a staggering $218 billion annually.1 Like many other diseases, disparities on the basis of race and income are apparent with diabetes. Non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are more likely to develop diabetes than non-Hispanic whites and socioeconomically advantaged groups.
National Library of Medicine
February 2018
Income Disparities in the Prevalence, Severity, and Costs of Co-occurring Chronic and Behavioral Health Conditions, 56(2): 139-145
May 2018
J Womens Health (Larchmt)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Depression Risk, and Quality of Life in Black Pregnant Women
J Community Health
Disparities in Self-Reported Prenatal Counseling: Does Immigrant Status Matter?
July 2018
Soc Sci Res.
From the West Indies to Africa: A universal generational decline in health among blacks in the United States. 73: 163-174
February 2017
SSM Popul Health
Intergenerational differences in smoking among West Indian, Haitian, Latin American, and African blacks in the United States, 3: 305-317. 02/2017
June 2016
Health Serv Res.
Medicaid Disenrollment and Disparities in Access to Care: Evidence from Tennessee
December 2015
J Health Social Behavior
Health Assimilation among Hispanic Immigrants in the United States: The Impact of Ignoring Arrival-cohort Effects,
56(4):460-77
Med Care Res Rev.
Changes in Public Prenatal Care Coverage Options for Noncitizens Since Welfare Reform: Wide State Variation Remains,
July 2014
Econ Hum Biology
Examining the temporal relationships between childhood obesity and asthma, 14:92-102
January 2013
Explore Econ History
Beyond black and white: Color and mortality in post reconstruction era North Carolina, 50(1): 148-159
April 2010
Am J Public Health
Under the skin: using theories from biology and the social sciences to explore the mechanisms behind the black-white health gap, Suppl 1:S36-40