Department of Health Behavior, PhD Student
My name is Hanna (she/her/hers), and I am a first-year PhD student in the Health Behavior Department at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC. I use photovoice, a qualitative research approach, to co-develop research with impacted community members. This work explores topics such as barriers to reentry after incarceration and the impact of chronic stress on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. My research interests include the disproportionate impact of gentrification and displacement on marginalized communities, the collateral consequences of incarceration, and the racialized geographies of mass incarceration, particularly in my hometown, Oakland, California. I earned my Master of Public Health (MPH), concentrating in Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights, from UNC in 2023. In my free time, I like to kayak, travel to places off the beaten path, and teach every dog I meet how to “high-five.”