C2: Critical Conversations that Lie at the Heart of Health Justice

Money is a taboo subject in general, but it’s even more off-limits for women. How does the gendering of personal finance affect women’s financial and physical health? And, what roles do stigma and shame play in achieving financial wellness? Ariana Contreras from Women’s Money Matters joins us to answer these questions, as well as talk about her organization’s approach to a women centered and empowered solution. Ariana Contreras is the Senior Community Engagement Manager at Women’s Money Matters. Women’s Money Matters is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit dedicated to building financial wellness, confidence, and security for women and girls living on low-incomes. Ariana blends her experience in non-profit communication and programming with her background in education to bring a vibrant energy to Women’s Money Matters. Growing up in a small, resource-limited town in rural Arizona, where opportunities for women, mothers, and people of color were scarce, she found her passion for empowering change through Women’s Money Matters. With an International Affairs degree from Northern Arizona University, Ariana is driven to create a more equitable future. Outside of work, you'll find her sweating it out in exercise classes, exploring new culinary delights, hanging out with her tuxedo cat, Cherie, or soaking up the great outdoors of New England. For more information about Women’s Money Matters, check out these links: To learn more about volunteering: https://womensmoneymatters.org/volunteer-opportunities/ To learn more about joining a program or referring a woman or girl to the program (at no cost for participants): https://womensmoneymatters.org/join-a-program/ Listen to WMM’s volunteer and supporter Stacy talk about money shame in a Level-Up workshop: https://youtu.be/KlvMqKCK51M Hear from graduate-turned-coach Ramonia Henderson share her experience https://youtu.be/z56gbfYWYyg The production of this podcast was supported by Grant 6-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

So much of our lives revolve around work. And in the U.S., so do our benefits. Drs. Pamela Joshi and Alison Earle join us to talk about how workplace policies affect women and their families. We explore work as a social determinant of health, the impact of caregiving on women, and international differences in paid leave policies. Dr. Pamela Joshi is a senior scientist and the associate director of the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Joshi's research investigates how early care and education, paid family and medical leave, and anti-poverty policies advance children’s equitable access to opportunities and influence family and child health and economic outcomes. She is an expert in equity research methods and has published several policy equity assessments including, most recently, Hispanic and immigrant working families' access to paid family and medical leave programs. She has served on several expert panels including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Closing the Opportunity Gap for Young Children Consensus Study and currently serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Development Research Advisory Council. Dr. Joshi received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare Policy from Brandeis University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan. Dr. Alison Earle is a senior research analyst in work-family policy at the WORLD Policy Analysis Center at the School of Public Health at UCLA, where she leads research projects on how labor and social policies affect the health and economic security of working families in the U.S. and worldwide. Previously, Dr. Earle served as the co-director of the Project on Global Working Families at the Harvard School of Public Health where she managed a research team developing the first truly global database of national labor policies in 193 countries. She conducted some of the first national studies on disparities in access to paid leave and schedule flexibility in the United States, and the first globally comparative analysis of paid sick leave policies. Earle has over 60 publications and has provided expert testimony at Massachusetts congressional hearings on proposed paid family and medical leave and paid sick days legislation. Dr. Earle received a master’s in public policy from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard University. For more information about the policies discussed on the show, check out these resources: Drs. Earle and Joshi received the Lawrence R. Klein Award from the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read about their winning research here! DiversityDataKids’—a research program housed at the Institute for Child, Youth, and Family Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University—research on inequitable access to the FMLA by gender and race/ethnicity. This National Academies report which focused on reducing child opportunity gaps. Dr. Joshi served on this committee and the report includes strong policy recommendations. This article (co-authored by Drs. Joshi and Earle) which shows that paid FML can decrease, but not eliminate, racial disparities in black and Hispanic working mothers’ capability to take up parental leave and use leave for longer durations due to affordability constraints associated with lost wages. WorkRise, a research-to-action network, with more resources about policies and employer practices that can improve working conditions and job quality. The production of this podcast was supported by Grant 6-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

Sex education, colloquially referred to as “sex ed,” carries a variety of meanings depending on when and where you grew up in the United States. Why is there so much variance in what is taught and how does this affect young folks, especially those belonging to the LGBTQIA community? Dr. Sophie Godley joins us to answer these questions and more as we try to make sense of the good, the bad, and the politics of sex ed. Dr. Sophie Godley is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health. She also serves as the Associate Director of the Kilachand Honors College at Boston University. Her areas of expertise include implementing science-based prevention programs and incorporating popular media into public health education. Dr. Godley has served as the director of the Office of Adolescent Health and Youth Development at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Deputy Director of the AIDS Action Committee in Massachusetts. For more information about sex education check out these resources: Advocates for Youth. https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/ SIECUS. https://siecus.org/ GoAskAlice @ Columbia University: https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/ The production of this podcast was supported by Grant 6-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

You walk into a doctor’s office for an appointment, and what is the first thing you are asked to do? Step on a scale. For some, this experience or number fails to generate a heightened response. However, most of us have complicated and deeply personal relationships with our body and weight. Have you ever stopped to question why all doctor’s visits start this way? Or, have you ever wondered why you have been made to feel so preoccupied with your body and size in the first place? Dr. Lisa Erlanger joins us to help explore these questions and more in the Season 3 premiere. Dr. Lisa Erlanger is a board-certified family physician and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. She is a leader in the growing movement for weight-inclusive primary care and speaks nationally about anti-fat bias, weight-inclusive primary care, and eating disorders. Join us as we dive into weight stigma’s definition, history, and impact on marginalized populations in this first part of a 2-episode series. For more information about Dr. Erlanger and her work you can find here: https://sites.google.com/view/drlisaerlanger Find out more about the organization mentioned during the podcast here: Medical Students for Size Inclusivity: https://sizeinclusivemedicine.org/ For more related information go here: Association for Size Diversity and Health: https://asdah.org/ The production of this podcast was supported by Grant 6-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

There exists an alluring public perception of substance misuse among young adults in high school and college. Drugs and alcohol are strategically marketed to adolescents, and this has profound public health consequences. Various examples from television, film, and social media highlight a glamorous and glorified portrayal of substance abuse. We welcome Dr. Noel Vest, PhD to the podcast to discuss the implications of substance use disorders on the development and well-being of adolescents. Dr. Vest is an assistant professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. As a formerly incarcerated scholar, Dr. Vest advocates for social justice issues and public policy concerning substance use disorder recovery and prison reentry. Join us as we discuss what puts adolescents at a heightened risk of developing a substance use disorder, what the current state of research is, and Dr. Vest’s personal and professional motivations for doing work in this field. Resources used in the production of this podcast: ⁠https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/drug-and-alcohol-use-reported-youth-juvenile-facilities-2008-2018-statistical⁠ https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction-substance-use-disorders/what-is-a-substance-use-disorder The production of this podcast was supported by Grant G-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

*Various sensitive topics that may be triggering for some listeners will be discussed in this production, so listener discretion is advised.* The topic of this month’s episode is sexual violence. Women in the United States suffer from sexual violence at alarming rates. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over half of women have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes. We welcome Dr. Emily Rothman and Gina Scaramella MSW to the podcast to explore this public health concern. Join us as we discuss an important and sensitive issue that impacts the health of individuals, mothers, families, and communities. Follow this link to access the autism training platform recently developed by Rothman and Scaramella: https://sites.bu.edu/autismsa/ If you or someone you know is in need of sexual violence resources, please see the following information: National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 https://www.nsvrc.org/ The production of this podcast was supported by Grant G-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

Doula care has been proven to improve the health outcomes of birthing individuals, yet access to these services remains limited. Birthing Gently recently partnered with Massachusetts General Brigham as part of its United Against Racism Project. The goal of the program is to match Birth Doulas with low-income and at-risk patients. We welcome Katia Powell-Laurent, PhD to our podcast to discuss the forged partnership, the role of birth doulas on a collaborative care team, and general strategies for addressing maternal mortality. For more information on the partnership between MGB and Birthing Gently, follow this link: https://www.birthinggently.com/bgmh-program The production of this podcast was supported by Grant G-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.

Gun violence poses profound threats to the health of children, women, mothers, and communities across the United States. In 2020 firearms became the leading cause of death among children ages 19 and below. Additionally, women in the United States who are pregnant or have recently given birth are more likely to die from murder than from obstetric causes. 68% of these homicides involved firearms. Michael Ulrich, professor at Boston University School of Law and School of Public Health, shares his academic expertise with us as we explore the scope and reality of gun violence in America. Visit these sources for more information about the statistics listed in the episode description and to learn more about the implications of gun violence: https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/child-and-teen-firearm-mortality-in-the-u-s-and-peer-countries/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/homicide-leading-cause-of-death-for-pregnant-women-in-u-s/ The production of this podcast was supported by Grant G-T76MC00017-27-01 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the host and guests of this podcast episode and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HHS.