Sauda Abdullahi

MPH – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Spring 2024-Fall 2024

President – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

I’ve always been passionate about improving the health of mothers and children, especially those in under-resourced communities. Coming from a family of refugees who arrived in the United States when I was very young, I’ve experienced firsthand how health systems impact families and shape the resources available to mothers and children in vulnerable situations. Maternal Child Health offers a unique opportunity to explore these systems and their impacts on health, while also working toward the mission of improving access and well-being for families. This work is essential to building healthier populations, and I believe being part of it is extremely invaluable!

Branycia Mitchell

MPH – Department of Health Management and Policy

MCH Scholar : Spring 2024-Fall 2024

Social Media Coordinator – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

Branycia Mitchell is a second-year Master of Public Health in Policy student in the College of Public Health’s Department of Health Management & Policy. She has been a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Scholar since January 2024 and serves as the 2024-2025 Social Media Coordinator for the MCH Student Interest Group. She is dedicated to addressing health equity and is primarily interested in Black maternal health disparities and the standardization of care for underserved and marginalized populations. Branycia aims to develop her MCH knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to the MCH field in future roles as a health policy expert and physician.

Natalie Doering

MPH – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2024

Vice President – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

In maternal and child health, I am interested in understanding how health disparities arise and evolve across the life course, focusing on the social, economic, and environmental barriers to healthcare access. I seek to learn more about existing policies and interventions that shape health outcomes in this population. 

Deaven Denis

MPH – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2024

My interest in maternal and child health began when I started working in the neonatal intensive care unit here at University of Iowa Healthcare. I learned a lot in that role about sick newborns and am excited to learn more about ways to keep them and their parents healthy!

Grace Gerdts

PhD – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2023 – Spring 2024

External Communications Chair – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

Grace Gerdts (she/her) is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology. She was a maternal and child health scholar from 2023-2024. She currently serves as an external communications chair for the Maternal and Child Health student interest group. She currently works as a GRA for Dr. Nichole Nidey, and her research interests include maternal and child health, substance use disorders, healthy equity and social justice, and maternity care. Her interest in maternal and child health is driven through compassion for others and efforts towards stigma reduction. 

Jocelyn Demiglio

MPH – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2024

Secretary – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

My interest in MCH intersects with my interest in infectious disease. I am particularly interested in outcome disparities in pregnant women and children who encounter emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. 

Fatima Fadl

MPH – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2024

Member – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

I am interested in addressing health disparities within maternal and child health in underserved communities.

Kaniz Fatema

PhD – Department of Community and Behavioral Health

MCH Scholar : Fall 2024

Communication Director – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

I am particularly interested in maternal and child health, with a focus on perinatal mental health from a global perspective. My aim is to explore how social support can play a role in reducing perinatal mental depression.

Rawan Hassanain

MS – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2024

Parliamentarian – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

Interested in global and local policies related Maternal Child health and how they affect their outcomes

Erin Wissler Gerdes

PhD – Department of Epidemiology

MCH Scholar : Fall 2023 – Spring 2024

Parliamentarian – Maternal and Child Health Student Interest Group

Erin’s research focuses on critical areas of maternal health, particularly the impact of untreated anxiety in the postpartum period. She explores the phenomenon of “mom rage,” including characterizing these experiences and examining the co-occurring factors that may lead to such episodes. Additionally, she studies the importance of access to care, and advocate for better mental health support and resources for new mothers.