This month’s podcast features an insightful interview with Dr. Karlene Cunningham, who leads essential support for birthing individuals of color. Her work with doulas highlights the importance of recognizing and uplifting the talents and gifts that communities already offer to birthing people. Dr. Cunningham also discusses how her early research on adolescent sexual relationships can inform interventions and studies related to birthing individuals. Additionally, she shares her pioneering efforts to ensure that AI research includes voices often marginalized or overlooked in developing interventions.

Guest bio

Dr. Karlene Cunningham earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University and completed an internship in Behavioral Medicine at Brown University's Alpert Medical School. She has also completed NIH-funded fellowships in Adolescent/Young Adult Bio-behavioral HIV research, Clinical and Community-Based HIV/AIDS, and Leadership in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and Health Equity.

Dr. Cunningham is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. She directs the Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Engagement (SHaRE2) lab. Her passion lies in using a reproductive justice lens to address gaps in perinatal mental health research and improve systems of care for birthing people, especially those in marginalized and rural communities. Her clinical work focuses on hospital-based consultation-liaison, specializing in reproductive psychology.

This month's MONA podcast guest is Dr. Cindy H. Liu, who examines the critical experiences of adolescents and college students to understand complex developmental and cultural experiences. Dr. Liu shares findings from a COVID-19-related study highlighting how unexpected residential moves affected college students’ mental health. We also hear about her current fascinating study that examines the intersection between identity, discrimination, and mental health among Chinese American adolescents. This line of research can help pave the way for understanding the perinatal experiences of racially and ethnically diverse individuals.

Guest biograph:

Cindy H. Liu, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, the Director of the Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Program, and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School within the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry. She also serves as the Director of the NICU Parent Mental Health Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her program of research focuses on the measurement and mechanisms of stress and its impact on mental health across key points within the developmental lifespan and implications for women, children, and underrepresented populations. She is currently a principal investigator for several studies, including the Perinatal Experiences and COVID-19 Effects (PEACE) Study, a longitudinal study that seeks to understand the experiences of pregnant and postpartum women throughout the pandemic and the COVID-19 Adult Resilience Experiences Study (CARES) which focuses on mental health and well-being in diverse young adults. She is also the principal investigator of the BOBA Project (www.thebobaproject.com), a study funded by three NIH grants that examine how Chinese American teens learn about the Asian identity within their family, their peers, and social media. Her work has been funded by foundations and philanthropy and featured in various outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, and CBS News. In 2023, she received Clarivate’s Highly Cited designation, awarded to scientists with the top 1% of citations. She received her degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon and completed her clinical internship at McLean Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital.

Acompáñenos este mes para un podcast informativo y muy relevante. La Dra. Palacios Hernández brinda información invaluable sobre la salud mental perinatal en México, incluidos los efectos de los desastres naturales, la pandemia y los factores contextuales. También aborda la importancia de crear espacios seguros y promover el apoyo social para reducir la violencia contra las mujeres, reduciendo así el riesgo de salud mental perinatal adversa. La Dra. Palacios Hernández llama a otros a la acción e inspira a otros a unirse a la fuerza laboral de salud mental perinatal de México.

Este episodio del podcast menciona un tema delicado como lo es el abuso sexual infantil. Se recomienda discreción al escuchar, especialmente para aquellos que puedan haber experimentado traumas infantiles similares. Ofrecemoslos siguientes recursos en español:

La Línea de Ayuda Nacional Online de Abuso Sexual: https://www.rainn.org/es

El Centro Nacional de Recursos sobre Violencia Sexual (NSVRC): https://www.nsvrc.org/es/find-help

Directorio de organizaciones:

https://www.nsvrc.org/es/organizations?field_organizations_target_id=8&field_states_territories_target_id=All

La Dra. Palacios Hernández tiene una Licenciatura en Psicología y Maestría en Psicología Clínica por la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM) y un Doctorado en Psicología Clínica y de la Salud por la Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, en España. La Dra. Palacios Hernández es Profesora Investigadora de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, donde es coordinadora del laboratorio de salud mental perinatal. La línea de investigaciones de la Dra. Palacios Hernández se enfoca en la salud mental en adultos, especialmente en la etapa perinatal, con un énfasis en la evaluación y análisis de la psicopatología materna y sus factores asociados. Además, con un enfoque en la calidad del vínculo materno-infantil en el posparto, diseño y adaptación de instrumentos y estrategias de la salud mental. Actualmente, la Dra. Palacios Hernández es co-presidenta del Consorcio Internacional de la Entrevista Stafford en Salud Mental Materna, miembro del Sistema Nacional de Investigadores de México con nivel 1 y forma parte de la Sociedad Internacional Marcé de Norteamérica con membresía en la sociedad Marcé de Norteamérica, las redes Iberoamericana, Latinoamericana y Mexicana de Salud Mental Perinatal.

ENGLISH:

Join us this month for an informative and highly relevant podcast. Dr. Palacios Hernández provides invaluable insights into perinatal mental health in Mexico, including the effects of natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and contextual factors. She also discusses the importance of creating safe spaces and promoting social support to reduce violence against women, thereby reducing the risk of adverse perinatal mental health. Dr. Palacios Hernández calls others to action and inspires others to join Mexico's perinatal mental health workforce.

This episode mentions a sensitive topic, such as child sexual abuse. Discretion in listening is encouraged, especially for those who may have experienced similar childhood trauma. We offer the following resources in Spanish:

La Línea de Ayuda Nacional Online de Abuso Sexual: https://www.rainn.org/es

El Centro Nacional de Recursos sobre Violencia Sexual (NSVRC): https://www.nsvrc.org/es/find-help

Directorio de organizaciones: