Join Dr. Muigai as she traces the origins of one of the most enduring health disparities in the nation: the racial gap in infant survival. Drawing on a range of archival materials spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, this talk explores the ways Black families, health care practitioners, and government officials have addressed the health and survival of Black mothers and their babies. The talk will conclude by reflecting on the legacy of these local and nationwide efforts in the ongoing struggle to improve birth equity.
A historian of medicine and public health, Dr. Muigai is an assistant professor at Brandeis University. Her research examines the racial, social, and ethical dimensions of health and health care in America across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She is a Class of 2025 Fellow in the Greenwall Foundation’s Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics and former History Fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Currently she is completing a book-length history of Black infant mortality, forthcoming with Harvard University Press, and researching African American views on trust in health care. She earned her Ph.D. from Princeton University and A.B. from Harvard University.