CYFC Scholars
Program
Elaine Hernandez
My interest in social and educational disparities in health began when
I observed disparities in care at a neonatal intensive care unit,
while conducting ethnographic research. From
my interviews it became apparent that parents with higher levels
of education possessed more health knowledge and, as a result,
their newborns received higher quality care. This
observation led me to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical
Anthropology (University of Notre Dame) and a Master’s
Degree in Public Health Administration and Policy (University
of Minnesota). I
am currently in my fifth year of the sociology doctoral program,
focusing on medical sociology—a
sub-field that examines the range of social processes affecting
health and illness. My
research examines health inequalities and my dissertation focuses
more specifically on educational disparities in health behaviors
during pregnancy. In recent years, I have worked at the
Minneapolis Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center (Center for
Chronic Disease Outcomes Research), the Minnesota Department
of Health (Policy and Communications Division) and the Flexible
Work and Well-Being Center (a multidisciplinary research network
housed in the Minnesota Population Center). I currently serve on advisory boards and
committees for the Department of Sociology, the Minnesota Population
Center and the Institutional Review Board at the University of
Minnesota. As a Children, Youth and Family Consortium
Fellow I hope to incorporate theoretical and methodological approaches
from multiple disciplines that will allow me to translate my
dissertation research into recommendations to promote healthy
behaviors during pregnancy.
