FOCUS
Everyone in the U.S. should have the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. Currently, anti-immigrant sentiment, policies, and restrictive laws make this realization difficult for some members of our community. Recent immigrants are more likely to live in under-resourced communities, where the economic, social, and physical environments do not support their health and well-being. Ezinne’s research interests center on the migration and immigrant experiences of black and African populations. In the U.S., this group of immigrants is seldom the focus of public health research, and their immigrant experience is rarely the center of public debate. Ezinne believes that her research will shed light on the challenges that immigrants face to integrating into U.S. society, and the impact that these barriers have on health and well-being. She expects that this research will help to identify opportunities for effective immigrant integration policies and programs.
MORE ABOUT EZINNE
Ezinne’s experiences as an immigrant from Nigeria have helped to shape her interests in migration and immigrant health. Over the years, Ezinne has worked with teams on various health-related research projects and programs. She is now excited to focus her work on a topic and population that represent her experiences and those of people in her community.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — FALL 2021
Matters of Place and Health: Ethnic Enclaves, Immigration Enforcement, and Preterm Births Among Latina Mothers in the U.S.
This dissertation is a national study that examines how residential contexts, especially ethnic enclaves, shape preterm births among Latina mothers in the U.S. The project uses a county-level ethnic enclave classification that includes social, economic, and geographic dimensions and draws on social science and health frameworks, U.S. birth records, the U.S. census, and other county-level information. The classification—developed for this study—will be used to investigate: (1) the association between the type of enclave in which mothers live and their risk for preterm births; (2) differences in the association by nativity and Hispanic origin; and (3) if observed associations depend on county-level immigration enforcement policies. Results from this study will expand health research on ethnic enclaves and may be useful for developing targeted health programs and local policies.
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