Meet The Team.
We are a collaborative research team working to advance reproductive justice and health equity through the study of intimate partner violence, reproductive coercion, and pregnancy intention.
Our lab is grounded in mutual respect, community-centered values, and rigorous, anti-racist research methods. We believe that meaningful change is built through shared inquiry, lived experience, and collective action.
Karen Trister Grace, PhD, MSN, CNM, FACNM
Principal Investigator
George Mason University, School of Nursing
Karen is a clinician-researcher focused on reproductive justice, health equity, and trauma-informed care. Her scholarship addresses the impacts of IPV, reproductive coercion, and pregnancy intention, with the goal of informing policy, improving clinical care, and advancing systemic change.
Research Assistants
Current:
Elizabeth A. Walker, MPH
Elizabeth is the lead coordinator for a sexual violence prevention study set in college health and counseling centers. Her research includes sexual violence, alcohol-involved sexual violence, intimate partner violence (IPV), reproductive coercion, sexual and reproductive health, and health equity. Elizabeth's goal is to advance prevention interventions and strategies to reduce harm both structurally and systemically and increase safety for those seeking support and care. She supports our work on the use of RC behaviors by people assigned male at birth.
Alyssa Lindsey, MPH
Alyssa is a sociology doctoral student in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research interests include reproduction, medicalization, and abortion support. Her previous research work focused on person-centered contraceptive measurement, medication abortion, and immigrant sexual and reproductive health. Alyssa's prior training includes an MPH in Global Health with a certificate in Maternal Child Health from Emory University and a BA in Global Health from Arizona State University. A full-spectrum doula and practical support volunteer, she supports pregnant people in Arizona, Georgia, and California. With the Grace Lab, she primarily supports the RIT study.
