Lucinda's Research

I use my lived experience as a Black woman, a historical perspective, my poetry, my art, and my research into racial disparities to offer an reproductive justice lens to improve racial disparities in maternal health.

Research

Dr. Lucinda Canty’s research focuses on maternal health equity, reproductive justice, and the lived experiences of Black women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Her work centers the voices of women and communities that have historically been unheard, underserved, and disproportionately impacted by health inequities.

Using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, Dr. Canty examines issues including severe maternal morbidity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, perinatal loss, postpartum mental health, transportation barriers to prenatal care, and the historical and structural factors that influence maternal health outcomes.

Her scholarship is grounded in community engagement, storytelling, and advocacy. Through Lucinda’s House and academic-community partnerships, she works collaboratively with communities to develop culturally responsive, prevention-focused approaches to maternal and reproductive health.

Dr. Canty also uses visual arts, storytelling, and photovoice methodologies to create spaces for healing, education, and dialogue. Her work bridges research, practice, and community action with the goal of advancing health equity and improving care for women and families.

Current areas of research and community engagement include:

  • Maternal health equity and reproductive justice
  • Preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
  • Severe maternal morbidity and near-miss experiences
  • Perinatal loss and postpartum mental health
  • Transportation and access to prenatal care
  • Black women’s experiences within healthcare systems
  • Community-based maternal health education and prevention
  • Storytelling, visual arts, and healing-centered research approaches
  • Adolescent reproductive health and wellness
  • Nursing history, Black midwifery, and reproductive justice advocacy

To learn more about ongoing projects, collaborations, or speaking engagements, please contact info@lucindashouse.org

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Current Research Projects

  • Advancing Equity in Preeclampsia: A Multilevel Analysis of Risk, Clinical Presentation, and Experience of Care.
  • Work Conditions and Black Mothers’ Perinatal Health
  • Black Women’s Perceptions of Factors Impacting Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.
  • The Experience of Perinatal Loss among Black Women.
  • Black Maternal Mobility in Western Massachusetts: The experience of transportation among Black Pregnant Women
  • Theory development: The Theory of Black Women's Health
  • Historical research on the contributions of Black nurses and midwives

More information below (scroll down)

Selected Publications

Click on the bolded publication titles to view the full articles.

  • AJN On the Cover. The American Journal of Nursing.
  • Canty, L., Nyrati, C., Taylor, V., & Chinn, P. L. (2022). Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing. The American Journal of Nursing.
  • Mokel, M. J., & Canty, L. (2020). Educational Outcomes of an Online Educational Intervention Teaching Cultural Competency to Graduate Nursing Students. Nurse Education in Practice.
  • Canty, L. (2023). Chapter 1: Context of Individuals Seeking Midwifery Care. In Varney’s Midwifery (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Canty, L., Kantrowitz-Gordon, I., & Phillippi, J. C. (2023). Appendix 2D: Resources on the History of Midwifery. In Varney’s Midwifery (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Canty, L., Lattimer-Mosley, S., LeBlanc, R., Manning, F., & Robinson, G. (2023). Chapter Two: Nurses of Color Voices: Storytelling and Listening in Anti-Racist Educational Practice. In Anti-Racist Community Engagement: Principles and Practices. Campus Compact in collaboration with Stylus Publishing.
  • Canty, L. (2023). Poetry and Artwork. In Taking Action: Top 10 Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing. SIGMA Theta Tau International.
  • Asked the Midwife: Postpartum Problems. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health (JMWH) – Contributing Editor.

 Selected Presentations

Black Maternal Health Institute: Perinatal Loss Among Black Women
Presented on behalf of the National Black Nurses Association's Black Maternal Health Taskforce at the 52nd Annual NBNA Institute and Conference, July 26, 2024, in San Francisco, California.

Using the Power of Diversity to Address Racial Disparities in Maternal Health (Invited Keynote)
Presented at Representation Matters: Breaking Down Contributing Factors of Health Inequities, the 2024 Diversity Impact Conference hosted by Frontier Nursing University, July 18, 2024. Virtual presentation. View Recording.

 

EDC's Community Birth and Doula Initiative hosted an event titled Strengthening Perinatal Networks of Care at Greenfield Community College on April 8, 2026.

The Power of Intergenerational Anti-Racism Work to Promote Health Equity
Presented as part of Anti-Racism Storytelling Through the Arts & Media at the 7th Annual Anti-Racism Preconference Session, November 5, 2022. Boston, Massachusetts.

Maternal Health Workforce: Nurse-Midwifery
Presented at the New England Maternal Health Summit: Community-Led Triumphs—How Community Advances Maternal Health and Wellbeing in New England, hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region 1 (New England), September 12, 2022. View Recording.

Decolonizing Nursing: What? Why? How?
Presented for the Center for Nursing Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine, September 27, 2021. View Recording.

  • The Lived Experience of Severe Maternal Morbidity Among Black Women
    Presented at the American College of Nurse-Midwives' 66th Annual Meeting, May 2021. Winner, Best Podium Presentation.
  • Racism, Midwifery, and Healthcare (Invited Presentation)
    Presented in recognition of Black Maternal Health Week and National Minority Health Month at the University of Pennsylvania, March 30, 2023. View Recording.
  • Using Our History to Address the Maternal Health Crisis (Invited Keynote)
    Presented at the 6th Annual Black Maternal Health Conference, Tufts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, April 7, 2023. Watch Video.
  • Disparate Care, Disparate Outcomes: How Embedded Bias Affects Maternal-Child Health Outcomes (Invited Panelist)
    Massachusetts Nurses Association, April 25, 2023.
  • State-Level Variation in Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes for Black Birthing People
    Canty, L., Kissler, K., & Erickson, E. N. Presented at the American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Meeting, May 7, 2023.

                      College of Nurse‐Midwives’ 68th Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL.

  • Resisting Racism to Transform Midwifery Education: Perspectives of Midwifery Students, Faculty, and Preceptors
    Jeffers, N., Canty, L., Dunn Amore, A., Johnson, S., & Woo, J. Presented at the American College of Nurse-Midwives' 68th Annual Meeting, May 9, 2023. Orlando, Florida.
  • Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing (Invited Keynote)
    Presented with Patricia Chinn and Christine Nyirati at the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators & Association of Public Health Nurses 2023 Joint Conference, June 6, 2023. San Diego, California.
  • Protecting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Black Women Who Experience Severe Maternal Morbidity
    Presented at the 51st Annual National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Institute and Conference, August 2, 2023. Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis Through Nursing Research and Education (Invited Keynote)
    Presented at the 2nd Annual Gunter-Gooding DEI Lecture, Pennsylvania State University, September 25, 2023. View Recording.

  • What Nurses of Color Want from Nursing Philosophers
    Canty, L., Garvey, C., Iradukunda, F., Shasanmi-Ellis, R., & Valderama-Wallace, C. Presented at the 2023 International Nursing Philosophy Conference, September 28, 2023. Sydney, Australia (Virtual).
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