Agénor headshot

Emerson Fellow

Madina Agénor

12th Class, 2005-2006

Madina graduated magna cum laude with honors from Brown University with a degree in Gender Studies and Community Health.  While at Brown, she served as the co-director of a student-run dance company, a peer French tutor, an academic advisor to first-year students, and a community health educator.  She wrote an honors thesis on HIV infection in Kenyan women, conducted health workshops with women in Costa Rica, and undertook research on the reproductive health of women of color with the National Women’s Alliance.  Madina has also worked on cardiovascular disease in Black and Latina women and provided assistance to the Latina Health Initiative, a program of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective.  Born in Martinique, Madina has lived in England, Haiti, D.C., and Maryland.

Field placement: Boston Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts

While in Boston, Madina worked with the Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP), the research arm of the Grow Clinic.  Using C-SNAP’s research findings, she wrote a report on the impact of food insecurity on the development of young, low-income children of color.  She also focused on strengthening C-SNAP’s research dissemination and advocacy efforts by initiating lasting relationships with advocacy organizations; writing research briefs to share findings with advocates and policymakers; and seeking out opportunities to inform public policy debates around children’s health and food security issues.

Policy placement: Food Research & Action Center

Washington, D.C.

Through national surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, Madina researched access barriers to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).  She also identified strategies for increasing program participation, conducted outreach to hard-to-reach populations, and shared her findings with advocates, policymakers, and program directors.

Publications