Presenter: Sarita Miller, Neurobiology and Physiology, Global Public Health Scholars
The practicum project I am completing this semester is research focused on women’s health and cultural stigmas on perceptions of menstruation. I will dive into different research articles about how period taboos and a lack of education on periods impact women’s overall well being. I will use research from Dr. Madhu Kushwahato to familiarize myself with different taboos in rural and urban India. Inspired by her work, I am planning on creating questionnaires for women in the U.S. about their experiences with stigmas and how they affect them. I will make a point to analyze how their cultural background and their life in the U.S. have played a role in their ideas about menstruation. This will allow me to get a glimpse into many cultural values about women’s health and if they still play a prominent role in the United States. The questionnaire will be shared with women from varying University of Maryland clubs such as Public Health Beyond Borders, Get Ovary It, Girl Up, and several student unions on the campus. I also will have completed the CITI Program training on social and behavioral research as part of my practicum to better understand what my work can potentially entail.