Kylea Laina Liese

Kylea Laina Liese, PhD, CNM, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development Nursing Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing. Her work bridges medical anthropology and midwifery practice, focusing on maternal health equity, structural racism in healthcare systems, and global reproductive health disparities.

Education:

• B.A. in Anthropology, Emory University (1998)
• M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology, Stanford University (2005, 2009)
• M.S.N. in Nurse-Midwifery, Yale University School of Nursing (2012)

Research Interests: Liese investigates how social structures—particularly racism, migration, and conflict—impact maternal mortality and morbidity. Her global work includes projects in Tajikistan/Afghanistan exploring migration's effects on reproductive health, while domestic projects in Chicago address obstetric racism through culturally-adapted midwifery models like Melanated Group Midwifery Care (MGMC). She employs mixed-methods approaches to link bio-social factors with clinical outcomes.

Grants & Awards:

• PCORI-funded study on Black Midwives for Black Women (2021)
• Wenner-Gren Foundation grant: Migration and Maternal Risk in Tajikistan (2020)
• NIH Health Disparities Research Institute Scholar (2017)

Practice: As a certified nurse-midwife, Liese attends births in Chicago hospitals and community settings, integrating clinical expertise with academic research. She advocates for structural interventions to reduce racial disparities in maternal care.