ABOUT THE EVENT

This panel brings together Duke faculty and students to discuss the multifaceted challenges and opportunities in achieving menstrual health equity worldwide. Speakers will share insights from research on stigma and physical and mental health across the lifespan of those who menstruate, and discuss systemic change, grassroots innovations and advocacy efforts. The session will highlight how global perspectives and local solutions intersect to promote dignity, health, and justice for all who menstruate.

SPEAKERS

Megan Huchko, MD, MPH, (moderator) is the Director of the Center for Global Reproductive Health at Duke and has a dual appointment as an associate professor in the department of obstetrics & gynecology and the Duke Global Health Institute. Huchko, who earned her bachelor's degree at Duke, completed medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and residency training at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. She practices as an OB/GYN generalist and specializes in cervical cancer prevention through her clinical work and global women's health research. Her research focuses on optimizing the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer among vulnerable women in settings where health disparities occur. Currently, she is carrying out several large studies in partnership with the Ministries of Health in central Uganda and western Kenya to evaluate the optimal implementation strategy for HPV-based cervical cancer screening in rural settings.

Ella Bassett is a junior undergraduate studying Biology and Global Health on the pre-medical track, with the goal of becoming an OB/GYN. She collaborates with Dr. Megan Huchko on research examining implementation strategies for a cervical cancer screening and prevention program in rural western Kenya. During their first visit to Kisumu, Kenya, Ella and her fellow students Sierra Remington and Hope Tiwang partnered with local collaborator, Rosemary Odada to support a reusable menstrual pad intervention. Their community-based project aims to employ local sewing staff to create safe, effective cloth pads for distribution to women and girls at regular menstrual health education events.

Emily M. Cherenack, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a primary appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a secondary appointment as Assistant Research Professor of Global Health in the Duke Global Health Institute. She is also an affiliate of the Duke Center for Global Mental Health. Her mixed-methods research integrates self-report measures, qualitative approaches, and biomarkers to examine how individuals cope with unchangeable stressors and explore how adaptive coping can mitigate the negative effects of stress on immune functioning, reproductive health, and cardiovascular health. Her prior global health research focused on menstrual health among adolescent girls in Tanzania. Other research areas in reproductive health include coping with menopause and the relationship between mental health, health behaviors, and the vaginal microbiome. 

Hannah Taylor, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in the Thompson Writing Program at Duke University. Her research focuses on reproductive justice, feminist methodologies, and digital rhetoric, particularly at the intersections of health, disability studies, and gender. Her scholarship has appeared in Women’s Studies in Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, Peitho, and College English. She also serves as Web Coordinator for Peitho and is an active member of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric. Beyond academia, she engages with reproductive justice activism in Durham through local advocacy organizations and community partnerships.

This is a hybrid event with both in-person and remote attendance options. Attendance in person is encouraged. Lunch will be available.