New Blogger, Same 2020

My name is Ke’ala. I am a Junior in Branford College and am originally from Honolulu, Hawai’i. I am studying the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and am one of the new undergraduate fellows working with Women’s Health Research at Yale. It is with great excitement that I say I will be adding my voice to this blog over the next year.

2020 has presented many unprecedented challenges, from grappling with racial inequity to natural disasters that highlight the worsening climate crisis, all amid a global pandemic. COVID-19 has completely upended our concept of what is normal — from how we work, learn, and play, to the simple ways in which we connect with each other. Although adapting to these changes can be stressful and exhausting, I believe this need to adjust provides a unique opportunity for learning. For this blog, I hope to draw upon the extraordinary circumstances in which we now live to guide a journey through women’s health topics, while also building on the insightful work of my predecessors, Dhiksha, Sue, and Anjali. I will follow their lead by exploring and sharing ideas on the health of women that make me wonder: “Why didn’t I know this?”

By joining me on this blogging journey, you can expect to find carefully researched and (I hope!) fascinating takes on the history, present, and future of women’s health research. Whether this means deciphering the newest scientific articles, exploring the historical foundations of current topics in women’s health, or mulling over questions about how to achieve health care equity, I hope that you will join me!