People

My program of research focuses on health care for acutely and chronically ill infants and children, in community and health care settings. My most recent research focuses on innovative strategies to improve family-centered care and enhance the partnership between families, communities and health care systems to ensure children receive optimal health care before, during and after hospitalization.

Christine is a postdoctoral scholar with the RMHC Center at UCSF led by Dr. Linda Franck. Their project seeks to contribute new evidence and advance the implementation of pediatric family-centered care and family-centered services where children receive care globally.

I have a broad background in statistics, genetics, and computer science, have been involved in a wide variety of theoretical and applied projects. My my applied work encompasses a wide variety of genetic association studies related to human health, including work on age-related hearing impairment, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Dr. Mehra's research focuses on diversification of the perinatal workforce and social and structural factors that influence racial inequities in maternal and infant health. Using reproductive justice and ecosocial frameworks and mixed methods and community-partnered approaches, she conducts research and evaluations on diversifying the midwifery, doula, and community health care workforce. Her research also examines multilevel mechanistic pathways and the impact of programs and policies on reducing inequities in maternal and infant health.

Jennifer Rienks, PhD, has been with FHOP since 1996 and is currently the Associate Director of FHOP. A native of Connecticut, Dr. Rienks received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Connecticut before heading west to complete both her Masters of Science degree and PhD in Social Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research interests include the application of social science theories and methods to public health to change health behaviors and health systems, and the role of the physical and social environment in shaping health behaviors.