CPH Student’s Publication Addresses Varying Disparities and Vital Breastfeeding Resources
February 26, 2025 • News
Kaeli Johnson, a current doctoral candidate in the College of Public Health (CPH) at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, recently published a paper that calls attention to breastfeeding resources and racial disparities in the Breastfeeding Medicine publication.
Kaeli is currently pursuing her PhD in Public Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Behavior Research. As of lately, she earned her Master of Science in Health Behavior Research from UNTHSC, and she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women’s & Gender Studies from The University of Oklahoma.
While applying to public health programs and researching faculty with similar research interests, Kaeli stumbled across Dr. Stacey Griner’s profile. She and Dr. Griner shared interests in maternal and reproductive health with relation to public health. It was not long before Kaeli applied for the MS/PhD programs through the College of Public Health and received her acceptances.
“Working with Kaeli has been an absolute privilege. What I admire most about her is her ability to bring a unique and insightful perspective to understanding people’s lived experiences,” says Dr. Griner, CPH Assistant Professor. “She ensures that her research and advocacy remain grounded in the realities of those most affected. She is a truly remarkable human being.” As someone who was already based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Kaeli also appreciated the locality of UNTHSC.
With a little over one year left in her PhD program, Kaeli has enjoyed any opportunities to grow as a professional or make lasting connections. “In the PhD journey, we all have to depend on one another because it can be a challenging journey,” says the CPH doctoral candidate. “During my first 3 years, I spent most days in the lab, so I made a lot of connections with my peers and classmates then. Now I do not see them as much while in my dissertation phase, but it is okay because we understand each other’s schedules and can support one another through the program.”
Submitting an article to Breastfeeding Medicine was a great opportunity for Kaeli to present her research findings which were inspired by recent conversations at home. While discussing her research with her mother, Kaeli learned that breastfeeding was not as common of a practice in her own family. Realizing this was not unusual in the Black community prompted Kaeli to investigate further to understand why this was a reality. She researched the possible resources where Black women could potentially receive their breastfeeding information, and this ultimately sparked her interest. Kaeli researched breastfeeding literature, and that’s when she discovered the publication. Breastfeeding Medicine was Kaeli’s top journal choice, and her article “Informational Sources About Breastfeeding Associated with Breastfeeding Initiation: Insights into Racial Disparities” became her third first-author publication.
Kaeli’s research interests include racial health disparities, particularly sexual health disparities within marginalized groups. She is also interested in the studies of maternal and child health, breastfeeding outcomes, and community-based health promotion. Kaeli is currently working on research pertaining to prenatal STI screening, COVID vaccination and pregnancy, and breastfeeding outcomes among Black women.
Kaeli serves as the current secretary for the Public Health Minority Association and has remained a member since 2024. She was recently re-elected as secretary for the approaching 2025-2026 academic year. Kaeli was a former secretary for the UNTHSC Public Health Student Government Association in the 2023-2024 year, and under the American Public Health Association (APHA), she was part of their 2022-2023 class for the Maternal and Child Health Fellowship. For her research and recent publications, Kaeli received the Outstanding Research Publication Award in 2024 from the UNTHSC College of Public Health.
Following the completion of her PhD program, Kaeli expressed that she looks forward to continuing her work in public health placing focus on varying groups and populations to integrate healthier communities into diverse spaces. A long-term career goal of Kaeli’s is to one day work for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) under the National Institute of Health (NIH). “Even if my career does not lead me to the NIH, I would prefer any opportunity that allows me to create access to healthcare and produce better health outcomes.”
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