Ph.D. candidate receives award from National Institute of Justice
Savannah Reitzel, Ph.D. candidate in the Social and Behavioral Sciences program, was recently awarded a 2023 National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship. Her project, titled “THRIVE: Transformative Health and Reproductive Information for Incarcerated Women’s Empowerment,” seeks to promote health equity for incarcerated women in the US.
The complicated healthcare system and the absence of gender-specific health education in jails can bring to the forefront the pre-existing social and economic disadvantages that many justice-involved women already face. Project THRIVE aims to contribute to the solutions for these challenges faced by incarcerated women in the US. Many of these women lack adequate healthcare knowledge, leading to overuse of emergency services, increased government spending, and higher recidivism rates.
“Correctional facilities don’t disappear social issues,” says Reitzel, “they disappear human beings. Issues including the relationship between incarceration, trauma, and health behaviors fade from public consciousness when the voices of those affected are muted. I am grateful for the NIJ’s support to amplify these voices, gain deeper insights into their health-related concerns and emotions, and work with the next generation of healthcare providers to take a step towards health equity.”
Her primary mentor on the project is Dr. Katherine Y. Tossas, Assistant Professor in Health Behavior and Policy, whose own research centers on women’s reproductive justice and health equity. “I am so thankful for Dr. Tossas,” says Reitzel, “With her mentorship I was able to not only achieve my goal of passing my comprehensive exams…but also garner national-level support for my most meaningful project to date.”
Read more about project THRIVE here: https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/awards/15pnij-23-gg-01937-ress
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