I met with my faculty mentor, Prof. Maria De Jesus, on Thursday, September 6th and we met for about 30 minutes. We discussed my research interests and the best ways to narrow down my research project to a more feasible size. In order to do so, we discussed the need to focus on the experiences of a specific population of women when it comes to access to reproductive health care–potentially Central American immigrant women in the District of Columbia. We discussed the importance of doing extensive background reading and Prof. De Jesus suggested a couple areas of scholarship that would be beneficial to my research.

We discussed the importance of understanding the history of the Central American region when focusing on the experiences of these immigrant women in DC. Studying the violence that occurs, especially in what’s known as the ‘Northern Triangle’, or Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, provides context for the lives which these women have led thus far. [1] Prof. De Jesus sent me an article written by Rebecca J. Williams on the subject that should provide some much-needed insight into the conditions in the region that have forced many to flee. [2]

Another area of scholarship that applies to my research is the social context of health and the determining factors that influence access to health care–the social determinants of health. [3] Prof. De Jesus sent me an article from the World Health Organization detailing the specific processes that contribute to this phenomenon. [4]

Moving forward, I am slightly concerned about narrowing down my research too early. I’m not exactly sure if this is the way I want to go with my research. I think that these fears will be alleviated once I do more background reading and narrow down my research puzzle.

My next steps include an in-depth reading of the articles and other documents that Prof. De Jesus sent me, scheduling another meeting with her to further discuss next steps, and continue to find more previous scholarship on my research topic.

 

[1]  United States Agency for International Development, Youth Violence and Citizen Security in Central America’s Northern Triangle, Rebecca J. Williams. (The University of Florida: 2016), ii.  

[2] Ibid.

[3] The World Health Organization, A Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health: Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper 2, 1.

[4] Ibid.

 

Bibliography

United States Agency for International Development, Youth Violence and Citizen Security in Central America’s Northern Triangle. By Rebecca J. Williams. The University of Florida, 2016.

The World Health Organization, A Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health: Social Determinants of Health Discussion Paper 2.