Hi, I'm Erin
I'm a CHES®-certified public health practitioner and Community Health Worker with a deep commitment to health equity and community-driven change. I’m currently pursuing my Master of Public Health at UMass Amherst, where my work centers on expanding access to culturally responsive, affirming care for transgender people of color. My background includes health education and program evaluation—always grounded in trauma-informed, intersectional approaches that reflect the real-world complexities communities face. I believe public health should listen first, act collaboratively, and leave no one behind.
My Work
Affirming Care at the Margins: Community Health Clinics and Health Equity for Transgender People of Color
Editorial in the International Journal of Transgender Health
Article
Toward Affirming Care
A public health education project and training toolkit promoting affirming, trauma-informed care for TPOC through provider training and community collaboration.
Development and Evaluation Document
Participant Workbook
Facilitator GuideBuilding Trust, Bridging Gaps
A community-based mental health intervention designed to address the unique needs of TPOC in mid-sized U.S. cities.
Poster
Development and Evaluation Document
About Me
I am an emerging public health scholar and practitioner committed to advancing health equity through community-engaged and systems-informed approaches. As a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) and Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW), my work bridges frontline service delivery and organizational leadership, grounding population-level inquiry in lived community realities.My professional experiences span direct support for disabled adults, nonprofit capacity building, and the development of equity-centered training and programming within national organizations. These roles have shaped my interest in how public health systems can more effectively integrate cultural humility and structural awareness into program design and implementation.As I complete my Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice, I am increasingly interested in research that examines how local public health systems operationalize equity commitments in practice. I am particularly drawn to qualitative and community-engaged research methods that center marginalized voices while informing sustainable policy and programmatic change.My professional mission is to contribute to the development of public health systems that are both analytically rigorous and accountable to the communities they serve. I am motivated by questions of implementation, trust, and institutional responsibility, particularly how public health agencies translate equity frameworks into measurable, community-informed outcomes.