Margaret Mary Downey

Margaret Mary Downey is an Assistant Professor at Tulane University's School of Social Work, where she focuses on the social and structural determinants of health inequities, particularly in reproductive and maternal health. Her work bridges social work, public health, and medical ethics through critical ethnographic research and structural competency training.

Education:

• PhD in Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley
• MSW, University of California, Berkeley
• Post-Baccalaureate Studies in Health & Societies and Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania
• BA cum laude in English Literature, Temple University

Dr. Downey's research centers on structural competency—how frontline health workers understand and address racial and economic disparities in reproductive health. She investigates how social workers function as street-level bureaucrats and how they can be better trained to recognize and intervene on systemic inequities. Her scholarship emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, reproductive justice, and community-based solutions to health disparities.

Her recent publications span topics such as contraceptive decision-making, professional collaboration between medicine and social work, and structural competency education. These works reflect a consistent focus on equity, narrative, and systemic intervention. Several of her articles have been recognized for impact, including inclusion in the American Medical Association's Continuing Medical Education curriculum.

Scientific Awards and Fellowships:

• University of California Dissertation-Year Fellowship (2019–2020)
• Jane B. Aron Health Policy Fellowship (2018–2019)
• Dissertation Completion Fellowship, UC Berkeley
• Human Rights Center Fellow, UC Berkeley
• Multiple Graduate Research Grants from UC Berkeley

Dr. Downey has been actively involved in advising and research mentorship through her roles in academic and community settings. Though specific advisees are not listed, her leadership in funded research and publication with junior scholars indicates strong mentorship engagement. She has secured competitive funding for her doctoral research, demonstrating grant-writing expertise and scholarly independence.

She is also engaged in community and labor activism, having co-founded dialogue series on privilege and oppression and served in the academic student employees’ union (UAW Local 2865). Her work with organizations like the Homeless Prenatal Program and Planned Parenthood underscores her commitment to community-based practice and reproductive justice.