Dr. Rachel R Hardeman
RESEARCH
I have dedicated my career to manifesting racial justice so that we all may our most FULL and HEALTHY lives! It is my unwavering belief that healthy people are free people and to achieve freedom we must dismantle the complex systems of oppression that maintaining and perpetuate inequities in health and well being.
After spending a decade developing a research portfolio that has highlighted the inextricable link between Anti-Black Racism and Reproductive Health my work is now focused on leveraging this evidence to develop interventions, impact policy and shift narrative from one that names race as the fundamental cause of inequities to RACISM. I am also focused on how we might use our Radical Imagination to manifest racial justice and health equity. The focus on my research now is to reimagine and build new systems. To that end, if you hear my idea and your first thought is “no way that is not possible”, I know I’m on the right track!
I imagine a world where….
"A pregnant person is not fearful of the outcome of their pregnancy nor worried about how they will be treated when accessing the health care system"
The Impact of Culturally-Centered Care on Peripartum Experiences of Autonomy and Respect in Community Birth Centers: A Comparative Study.
Almanza JI, Karbeah J, Tessier KM, Neerland C, Stoll K, Hardeman RR, & Vedam S.
Maternal and Child Health Journal, 20.
Published: 24 November 2021
Volume 26, pages 895–904, (2022)
"Antiracist research is a revolutionary way of doing research grounded in the understanding that racism is a fundamental cause of health inequities."
RACHEL HARDEMAN, PHD, MPH | FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF CARHE
This Research Library is a curated collection of published Antiracist Research by the core team and partners at the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity and the projects below are examples of some of the many ongoing antiracist research projects I am leading and/or engaged in:
Bearing Witness: Understanding Racism in the Black Birthing Experience:
This work will allow us to conduct qualitative research that will contribute to CARHE's long term goal of developing a population level database of measures of structural and institutional racism by ensuring that the MeasuringRacism Data Portal® is informed by the lived experience of Black women of reproductive age in geographic regions across the country (California, Minnesota and Pennsylvania).
Understanding the Pathways of Policing & the Pandemic to Reproductive Inequities: a Structural Examination (UP³RISE):
Police violence is a form of structural racism, one that causes ripple effects of trauma through communities of color. This trauma creates measurable harms on BIPOC individuals, including increasing rates of pregnancy complications and preterm birth. Part of this project specifically focuses on the intense community trauma experienced by Black women following the murder of George Floyd. This research will help inform critically needed reform in policing and public safety policy.
Center for Chronic Disease Reduction and Equity Promotion Across Minnesota (NIH—P50):
The Center for Chronic Disease Reduction and Equity Promotion Across Minnesota (C2DREAM), researches the impact of structural and interpersonal racism on health inequities for people who are Black, Indigenous and racialized people. C2DREAM empowers cross-sector collaboration between researchers, health providers, and community members to address the root causes of health disparities. By confronting the fundamental causes of health, we can have huge positive benefits on community health, wellbeing, and dignity.