Crista Johnson-Agbakwu
Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD, MSc, FACOG
Executive Director, Collaborative in Health Equity
Office of Health Equity
Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology
UMass Memorial Health
Professor, Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
Division, Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan Medical SchoolThe mission of the UMass Chan Collaborative in Health Equity (CHE) is to: 1) nurture and sustain community embeddedness and trust; 2) center health equity throughout innovations in research, education, clinical care, and service that engages UMass Chan faculty, staff, and learners alongside the local, regional, as well as global community; and 3) bolster community workforce development and community research participation by amplifying pathways to diversify the workforce inclusive of individuals from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM). The vision of the CHE is to advance health equity for vulnerable, underserved, and historically marginalized communities.
Summer Enrichment Program motivates undergrads for postgrad study
"According to Alcindor, Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu made a lasting impact on the group.
“I really like that they bring in guests to speak to us, to motivate us and to inspire us. I really enjoyed meeting Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu. She advocates for people who look like her, Black women who want to pursue a career in STEM,” said Alcindor." continue reading
PUBLICATIONS
€ Denotes Mentored Undergraduate Students
* Denotes Mentored Graduate Students (eg. Master’s/Doctoral/Post-Doctoral)
** Denotes Mentored Health Professions Trainees (eg. Medical Student/Nursing Student/Resident/Fellow)
Brussels Collaboration on Bodily Integrity. (2024). Genital Modifications in Prepubescent
Minors: When May Clinicians Ethically Proceed? American Journal of Bioethics, in press.
Schuster R, Wachter K, McRae K€, McDaniel A€, Davis OI, Nizigiyimana JF, Johnson-Agbakwu CE. “I promised them I would be there”: A qualitative study of the changing roles of Cultural Health Navigators who serve refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101002
Livingston S, Hamblin C, Johnson C, Chatman LS, and Bolden K. (2024) Diversifying Doulas Initiative: Improving Maternal Health Outcomes in People of Color Through Doula Care, Health Equity 8:1, 455–460, https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2023.0082
Besera G, Snead MC, Goodwin M, Smoots A, Bish CL, Ruiz A, Sayyad A, Avripas S, Ubrio P, Ahn R, Pineau V, Warren N, Mukangu D, Johnson-Agbakwu CE, Goldberg H, Okoroh E. (2024) The women’s health needs study among women from countries with high prevalence of female genital mutilation living in the United States: Design, methods, and participant characteristics. PLoS ONE 19(5): e0302820. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0302820
Creger, J*., Abdikeir, K**., Kaczmarczik, K*, Chaisson N, Johnson-Agbakwu CE, Robinson BE, Connor JJ. The Need for Standardized Nomenclature in Electronic Documentation of Female Genital Cutting in Health Records. J Immigrant Minority Health (2024). https://doi-org.umassmed.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10903-024-01595-5
Azugbene EA, Cornelius LJ, Johnson-Agbakwu CE. African Immigrant Women's Maternal Health Experiences in Clarkston, Georgia: A Qualitative Study. Women's Health Reports. Dec 2023.603-616. http://doi.org/10.1089/whr.2023.0062
Schuster RC, Wachter K, McRae K€, McDaniel A€, Davis OI, Nizigiyimana J, Johnson-Agbakwu C. “If you don't have the heart, you cannot do this job”: The multidimensional wellbeing of community health workers serving refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative Health Research, 2024; 34(3): 183-194. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231209836
Chaisson, N., Johnson-Agbakwu, CE., Finch, A., Salad, M., Connor, J. J., Chen, M., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2023). Beautiful vulvas: Expanding illustrative visual imagery of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) types. Journal of Sexual Medicine, qdad102. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdad102
Johnson-Agbakwu, CE., Chen, M., Salad, M., Chaisson, N., Connor, J. J., & Robinson, B. B. E. (2023). Female genital cutting type: Proposing a multifaceted, interactive method for increasing accuracy of self-assessment. Journal of Sexual Medicine, qdad101. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdad101
Fink G**, Abdulcadir J, Johnson-Agbakwu C. Rates of Cervical Cancer Screening and Dysplasia among Refugees in a Public Safety Net System. J Immigrant Minority Health (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-023-01491-4
Koukoui SD, Michlig GJ, Johnson-Agbakwu CE. Response to Comment on “Health Outcomes and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: How Much is Due to the Cutting Itself?”. Int J Impot Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-023-00670-z
Johnson-Agbakwu CE, Michlig GJ, Koukoui S, Akinsulure-Smith AM, Jacobsen DS. Health Outcomes and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: How Much is Due to the Cutting Itself? Int J Impot Res (2023)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-022-00661-6
INVITED SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS
Academic Grand Rounds/Institutional Symposia
May 8, 2024 “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Optimizing Trauma-Informed Care.” OB/GYN Grand Rounds. George Washington University Medical Center. Washington, DC (virtual)
April 10, 2024 “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Optimizing Trauma-Informed Care.” OB/GYN Grand Rounds. Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. MA. (virtual)
March 21, 2024 “Leadership at the Intersection of Healthcare, Public Health and Equity: Navigating the challenges of leadership to nurture trust, resonance, and sustained system change.” Nicole Alexander Scott, MD, MPH and Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD, MSc. Keynote Address EMPOWER Summit. UMass Chan Medical School. Worcester, MA.
March 13, 2024 “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Optimizing Trauma-Informed Care.” OB/GYN Grand Rounds. UMass Memorial Health. Worcester, MA.
March 11, 2024 “Placing the ‘Equity’ in Women’s Health.” Keynote Address Women’s Faculty Committee in honor of Women’s History Month. UMass Chan Medical School. Worcester, MA. (virtual)
February 6, 2024 “Advancing Health Equity for Communities of Color.” Dean’s Quarterly Diversity Seminar. Weill Cornell Medicine. New York, NY.
November 28, 2023 “Advancing Health Equity for Women of Color.” Distinguished Lectures Series in Course on The Political Determinants of Health. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Program in Public Health, Center for Environmental Health Disparities Research, Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine. (virtual)
September 1, 2023 “Optimizing Trauma-Informed Care for Adolescents and Girls at risk of/or Affected by Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C).” UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Health Equity Grand Rounds, Worcester, MA.
July 19, 2023 “Optimizing Trauma-Informed Care for Women and Girls Affected by Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.” SUNY Stonybrook University, Renaissance School of Medicine, 3rd Annual Global Health Symposium (virtual).
June 20, 2023 “Advancing Health Equity in Refugee Communities.” Inaugural Thomas Zand Lectureship in Refugee Health in honor of World Refugee Day. UMass Chan Medical School, Dept Family Medicine. Worcester, MA.
Conference Symposia
April 1, 2023 “Leading Change in Pursuit of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: From Theory to Action.” Johnson-Agbakwu CE, Duncan M, Roberts-Gilbert C. Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Alumnae Professional Development Program – Rising to the Challenge – Leadership Amidst Change. UMass Chan Medical School. Worcester, MA.
February 7, 2023 “Words and Numbers Matter: Considerations Related to Estimates of Prevalence in Immigration Host Societies.” How to Support FGM/C Survivors in Canada. A collaborative event to launch historic FGM/C tools and supports in Canada on International Zero Tolerance Day. Sponsored by the End FGM Canada Network and The Joining Hands Project, Montreal, CA. (Virtual Symposia)
Community Colloquia
May 14, 2024 “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.” Gibbs B, Duncan M, Rosal M, Johnson-Agbakwu CE. Presentation on Health Equity efforts as well as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging campus-wide engagement across UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health. Presentation to the UMass Memorial Medical Group Board of Trustees. UMass Memorial Health. Worcester, MA
April 26, 2024 “Placing the ‘Equity’ in Women’s Health”. Keynote Address 2024 YWCA Annual Stand Against Racism Community Breakfast. DCU Club, Polar Park. Worcester, MA
September 17, 2023 “COVID-19 and Black Maternal Health.” 2nd Baptist Church, 68th Church Anniversary. Worcester, MA
June 17, 2023 “Advancing Health Equity for Communities of Color.” Keynote Address – UMass Chan Multicultural Women’s Health Summit. UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
May 11, 2023 “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) 101: Care & Competencies for Maternal Healthcare Providers.” Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, and RTI International for Addressing FGM/C TTA Project. National Webinar co-led by: Nicole Warren, Zeinab Eyega, and Crista Johnson-Agbakwu. (virtual)
April 6, 2023 “Advancing Maternal Health Equity among Migrant Communities.” National Library of Medicine Traveling Exhibit. Outside/Inside: Immigration, Migration, and Health Care in the United States. UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA. (virtual)
February 22, 2023 “Understanding the Physical Health Impact of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)” Webinar for the San Francisco-based Asian Women Shelters Crisis Line as part of a larger training effort by the DOJ-OVC for Crisis Line Counselors who field calls from survivors of FGM/C in order to be equipped to provide trauma-informed care and resources to survivors of FGM/C by integrating FGM/C into existing support services with Gender-Based Violence prevention programs.
Teaching (UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health, Worcester, MA)
June 14, 2024 Co-presenter on URiM (underrepresented in medicine) mentorship panel alongside Terrell Johnson, MD to URiM MS2s from U.S. HBCU medical schools enrolled in the Student Learning opportunity Program hosted by the UMass Chan Office of Diversity and Inclusion (DIO). UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
June 11, 2024 Contribution to Contemporary Issues in Women’s Health 691 on the topic of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. Course Director, Cathy Violette, DNP, WHNP-BC. Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP) Program, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
June 5, 2024 “Advancing Health Equity for Communities of Color”. 2024 UMass Chan Summer Enrichment Program for URiM undergraduate students pursuing careers in the health professions. UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
May 28, 2024 “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Optimizing Trauma-Informed Care.” UMass Chan Asylum Clinic. UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
April 22, 2024 “Inside the Researcher’s Studio.” Seminar for rising 2nd year students in the Population and Quantitative Health Sciences (PQHS) doctoral program in Clinical & Population Health Research (CPHR). UMass Chan Medical School. Worcester, MA.
March 13, 2024 “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Surgical and Clinical Cases.” OB/GYN Resident Didactics. UMass Memorial Health. Worcester, MA.
January 29, 2024 “Pearls on Leadership in Advancing Health Equity.” Leadership in Structural Inequity, Advocacy, and Justice (SIAJ). SIAJ Pathway facilitated by Dr. Hugh Silk. Panelists included: Dr. Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, Dr. Michael Hirsh, and Ché Anderson. UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA (virtual).
September 12, 2023 “Advancing Health Equity for Communities of Color: My Life and Journey.”
UMass Chan PRISM (Pipeline for Underrepresented Students in Medicine) Scholars Program; a pipeline pathway program geared towards exposing college graduates to careers in the health professions with full time employment for two years as Clinical Research Coordinators at UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health.
August 23, 2023 “Inspiring Ripples of Hope: Advancing Health Equity by Centering Social Determinants of Health.” Keynote Address MS2 Poster Session culminating their year-long community engagement projects examining the Social Determinants of Health. UMass Chan Medical School.
July 18, 2023 “Advancing Health Equity for Communities of Color: My Life and Journey.”
UMass Chan Medical School’s High School Health Careers Program; a pipeline pathway program geared towards exposing underrepresented high school students to careers in the health professions. UMass Chan Medical School.
July 10, 2023 “Advancing Health Equity for Communities of Color: My Life and Journey.”
UMass Chan Medical School’s Baccalaureate MD (BaccMD) Pathway Program’s Summer clinical Immersion Experience. The BaccMD Program is a multi-phased pathway program in partnership with the four undergraduate UMass system schools (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell), designed to improve student’s success in securing acceptance to UMass Chan Medical School.